Summer Camp, With the Right Support

categories: community inclusion, Recreation

Published May 17, 2009 @ 02:33PM PT

Camp sign with owl from http://clipart.usscouts.org/library/Odds_and_Ends/Miscellaneous/sign_to_camp_clipart_bw.gif
Reach for the Rainbow is a non-profit organization in Ontario that sends disabled children to regular camps. The May 15th Weekend Post profiles the organization's founder, Donna Trella, whose daughter Dove was born with severe brain damage in 1979. Last year, Reach for the Rainbow sent 887 kids to 61 camps; this year, they've only been able to send 700 kids to camp as it costs an estimated $12,000 to send a child to camp. Says Trella:

"The crux of what we do is provide one-to-one support, but we also take a look at every activity that is going on in each camp and we try to adapt it. Whether it's bringing in special equipment, we are always looking at how we can make our children fully involved in every facet of what the camp has to offer. We create an environment where everybody is involved with these children."

It looks like we're going to forego camp again this year for Charlie. It would be day camp for him, and some of the camps we've heard about in our area with kids with his level of needs don't seem like quite the right fit. We were hoping to have him attend "regular" YMCA camp with an aide, but, for various reasons, I'm not sure that would work out. Just last Tuesday Charlie and I went to the YMCA: It was busy, with every room filled with people doing different classes and activities. Charlie immediately put his hands over his ears and asked to leave.

I'm keeping Trella's description of what Reach for the Rainbow does in mind: Maybe not this summer, but someday Charlie'll be a camper. We just need to be sure he has the right level of support (1:1 is needed for my son) and attentiveness.

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Comments (6)

So, if you had found "regular" camp a good fit who would have been responsible for the aide in your school district? I ask because when I approached our school system with the idea that I would pay for camp if they furnished the aide, they seemed to think I was crazy. Seemed like a reasonable way to provide ESY to me, but as usual it seems like we're the first to ask.

Posted by Cornelia Rivers on 05/17/2009 @ 03:02PM PT
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We would have done the same as you---requested an aide from the district. And probably gotten the same response. And then begun the dance of appeals, letters, IEP meetings, letters, emails----have you gotten any further response from your district?

Posted by Kristina Chew on 05/17/2009 @ 09:00PM PT
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The legal department at the school headquarters basically said that the only option was a program that was a bad fit and that they wouldn't provide an aide for summer camp. Now the Maryland Disability Law Center is filing a complaint (basically the IDEA says you can't unilaterally limit ESY, and that's exactly what they did) and we're going ahead planning to pay his aide from school with our own money. I was just hoping to find a US example of a school system providing an aide to use as back-up.

Posted by Cornelia Rivers on 05/18/2009 @ 06:58AM PT
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I'm looking around. Please disregard these links if you've seen them already:

http://www.aboutautismlaw.com/does_your_child_need_extended_school_year_services.html

http://www.concordspedpac.org/ESY.html

Posted by Kristina Chew on 05/18/2009 @ 09:05AM PT
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The about autism link is excellent and how I started on this path. Some other good ESY links (Maryland Specific) are:
http://www.family-networks.org/SECAC/ESY%20TA%20Bulletin%20July%202003.pdf

http://www.mdlclaw.org/chemicalcms/chem_user_files/docs/esy_manual_final.pdf

At this point I know the law is on our side, but these legal battles take a lot of energy and time - we're not going to hold off on scheduling camp and getting the aide lined up.

Posted by Cornelia Rivers on 05/18/2009 @ 11:05AM PT
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We're going to camp and paying for both the camp and the aid.

In Ontario there is respite funding for camp and aides, through ACSD and SSAH. $12,000 for one child IMO is ridiculous unless that's for an entire summer. Community Living also has extra funding available from the gov't for autistic children to go to summer camp. You have to apply for it separately.

We're only going for the weekend. I do homeschooling during the summer and I have respite (teenager) come to the house so I can get things done around here. Ironically, the lack of structure during the summer seems to work better than the going to camps and structured routine we tried for years and finally tossed last year with huge success.

S.

Posted by Fw2 farmwifetwo on 05/17/2009 @ 04:58PM PT
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Author

Kristina is a Classics professor in Jersey City, New Jersey, a blogger (formerly at AutismVox), a translator (of Virgil), and an advocate every day for her son, Charlie.