|
|
-
Camp is fun! You can expect it to be a bit messy.
-
Make sure your child is appropriately dressed.
Good sneakers are a must!
-
It's a good idea to label all clothing.
-
It's a good idea to keep an extra set of clothes at day camp. Some camps
have spaces for this.
-
Talk with the counselor concerning your child's likes and dislikes.
-
Beware of overstuffing backpacks. They can become heavy
and burdensome.
-
Make sure your child wears sunscreen.
-
Visit the camp before the session begins to make sure the setting is
appropriate. Parents can usually make appointments with camp directors in
the spring.
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) prohibits discrimination on the
basis of a disability. What does this mean to you as a parent? It means that
you have the law on your side to help you get your child into a recreation
program. Most people are in the recreation business because they want to
help. Many times they just don't know how to help. AADD's Recreation
Director Dan Evatt can help by assisting YMCA, private, and public
recreation programs in providing inclusive programs. You may contact Dan
Evatt at 404-881-9777 ext. 216 or by E-mail at
dan@aadd.org.
Before your child becomes involved in a recreational program, find out the
staff to child ratio. In an overnight camp setting a good ratio might be 1
to 3 or 1 to 4. In a one hour sports training session an acceptable ratio
might be 1 to 6 or 1 to 7. Some children; however, require one on one. Every
child is different in different situations. The experience level of the
supervising adults varies as well. Even the most experienced professional
can have problems due to personality differences with certain children. You
must decide if you are comfortable with the setting and the people who are
working with the children.
Always let the adult in charge of the recreational program know when you are
dropping your child off and when you are picking your child up. Be sure to
let him or her know if someone other than you will be picking your child up
that day. It is always a good idea to let the program leaders know if
something is going on in your child's life that might affect his or her
behavior such as changes in medication or changes in your family due to
death, divorce, or illness. It is also helpful to let the program leaders
know if your child is working on a specific behavior or skill.
Integrating Campers with Disabilities into a Community Camp Setting
Here are some tips and ideas that have been "field tested" over the years.
We are always looking for new ideas and for what works and what doesn't when
including children with disabilities into camp programs.
Why ??
We have found that children with disabilities, when included into a "regular
program," tend to behave and act like children without disabilities instead
of "special children" and, in many cases functioning levels increase. Also,
children without disabilities have the benefit of interacting with a more
diverse population.
There is no need start a special camp when there is already a perfectly good
camp in place.
What can I do with a child that has special needs?
The answer is you can do the same activities as with children that don't
have disabilities.
Why do anything special? As with most kids all they want is to be part of
the group and have a good time without being treated special.
How do I make this happen? The first point to remember is you are dealing
with a child first and the disability may or may not play into the
situation.
Tips and ideas for including or mixing children into the group
Have every child in the group get a buddy, not just the child with a
disability. Some children do better with the responsibility of helping to
keep up with others.
Make up a game that gives the child with a disability an advantage. e.g.;
-Hide and go seek with a visually impaired child.
-Sitting volleyball for a child in a wheelchair.
You may need extra staff or have a brother, sister or friend attend camp to
help out.
If you have a group of campers and one or more has a disability, each member
will need extra attention at sometime during the camp session. Everyone
should be treated equally, giving special attention to each child's special
need.
If you need to know more about a child's disability than the information
given you provides, ask the child or their parents. If you hear or read
something that says MR, CP, ADD, MD, BD, or LD and you're not sure what this
means, ask somebody. These terms change frequently; nobody knows them all.
Start a special group within the "regular" camp. This group can do
activities with other groups. Other groups may want to do activities with
this group. If using this approach, make sure that schedules are the same
and that there are not separate areas for some activities.
Don't force campers with or without disabilities to socialize or participate
in every activity.
Assign an experienced and mature counselor to float between groups to help
out in problem situations.
The role of counselors should be meshed as much as possible so that all
counselors are responsible for assisting all children. Try to move away from
the concepts of "special" counselors for "special" campers.
Put the child in a group that fits them best.
i.e.; A ten year old child with mental retardation might do better with an
eight year old group.
Plan your activity first and then think of how you can adapt this activity
or how can this child be mainstreamed into the activity.
Sitting Volleyball: Players sit with their bottoms on the floor with a net
height of 3 1/2 feet. Court size can be 25 feet wide by 35 feet long. This a
good activity for mixing people in wheelchairs with other camper
Reprinted with permission from the
Atlanta Alliance on
Developmental Disabilities.
|
 |
|
|
| |
Many summer
camps fill up their slots by January. Do your research early and get
your child enrolled in a program before it is too late. |
|
 |
|
