Project Description:
Camp LIFE (Leadership, Independence, and Friends through Experiences) accomplishes several goals. The first goal is to provide an integrated setting for children with disabilities to participate in a true camp experience. The children with disabilities and their non-disabled siblings, ages 5 to up, are placed into two groups designated by age. The campers are then paired with a counselor for the weekend. The campers engage in activities including swimming, canoeing, ropes course, horseback riding, fishing, archery, making S'mores, and more. The camping facility that Camp LIFE utilizes was designed and built for people with special needs and is a barrier free facility. Camp LIFE has medical staff present for the duration of the camp.
A second priority of Camp LIFE is to provide parents with a weekend of respite. This is one reason why the non-disabled peers are invited to attend camp. Another reason siblings are encouraged to attend is to provide a more integrated environment for Camp LIFE and another is to provide the non-disabled peers a counselor/buddy for a weekend paying specific attention to them.
A third focus of Camp LIFE is to provide Texas A&M undergraduates an opportunity to experience what it is like to support a child with a disability. One meaningful change that was made this year was the inclusion of undergraduate students from diverse academic disciplines. Historically, the majority of camp counselors were undergraduate pre-service special educators acquiring field-based hours for university classes. Including undergraduate students from diverse backgrounds and academic programs as mentors provides a more robust learning opportunity for the campers due to the spectrum of experiences and knowledge bases of the camp counselors (undergraduates). It also provides an opportunity for Texas A&M University undergraduate students to work alongside and support individuals with disabilities - an opportunity that does not occur often for those outside the discipline of special education preservice preparation. Aimee Day, Camp LIFE Program Coordinator has successfully recruited and trained 110 undergraduate Texas A&M students from various academic disciplines, including : Engineering, Business, Nursing, Accounting, Economics, Biology, Kinesiology, Clinical Psychology, Child Professional Services, School Health, Educational Psychology, and Special Education. The counselors are required to attend training on disability awareness, ethics and care, and person-centered practices prior to camp.
The camp served 45 campers, 26 counselors, and provided respite to 31 families respite.
Camp LIFE Video:
https://youtube.com/shorts/c9Ym1FiqTCA?feature=share
What has been helpful about Camp LIFE?
Parents:
Parents:
Because of Covid, we have been hesitant to bring in outside caretakers for our daughter and so my husband and I are the main caretakers for our adult daughter. Having the Respite Weekend camp was so vital for my husband and I to have a respite weekend together. Thank you so much for the opportunity.
My child came home exhausted and had so much fun. He was very talkative about all that he did. Thank you for helping us out.
My kids love camp! Rare time to feel independent, learn new things and do fun activities in a caring loving environment.
The community being very positive helped create a very welcoming environment for everyone.
A place where my daughter can feel free and happy.
Gave opportunity for daughter to do something she enjoys and respite time for parents.
Counselors:
It was a great opportunity to work with more individuals with disabilities in a different setting other than therapy.
This project activity was helpful in that it provided me with the opportunity to work with individuals with disabilities in a leisure and "camp" way. This is different to the interaction I usually have which is in a more professional/work environment.
Getting experience outside of the traditional classroom.
Keyword(s):
Family involvement, advocacy, community integration, Recreation
Target Audience:
Community Trainees / Short term trainees, Family Members/Caregivers, Adults with Disabilities, Children/Adolescents with Disabilities/SHCN
Unserved or Under-served Populations:
Racial or Ethnic Minorities, Disadvantaged Circumstances, Limited English, Geographic Areas, Rural/Remote, Geographic Area - Other, Other
