Almost everyone enjoys a walk through a garden, bending to sniff a flower, enjoying a fresh air breeze, listening to water bubbling from a fountain, and watching sunlight dapple through trees and plants. At Allegheny Valley School (AVS), the emphasis on multisensory environments (MSE) for individuals with intellectual and developmental…

A majority of parents who have a child who is deaf are hearing and usually have had no experience with deafness. The impact on the parents can unequivocally alter their lives. The professional advice given to the parent regarding their child is often accepted as irrefutable fact, and can lead to the emotional, social, linguistic, and educational…

Imagine a magical treehouse hidden in the woods, with secret doors and rope swings--the stuff of one's wildest dreams! Imagine children rolling their wheelchairs all the way around a lake and arriving at this wondrous place. At Camp Twin Lakes (CTL), a not-for-profit organization in Georgia, one doesn't have to imagine--it's the real thing. Each…

When RCA recording artist Clay Aiken created an independent study project to fulfill requirements for a degree in Special Education, he had no idea that his theoretical design would soon become reality. Aiken's concept on paper outlined an organization that would promote inclusion for children with disabilities. The seed of the idea was planted…

Briefly described are four award winning summer programs including a Massachusetts Girl Scout camp which mainstreams girls with disabilities; a New York camp serving siblings of children with disabilities; a Texas camp which utilizes volunteers to serve disabled children who may have serious medical conditions; and a California camp offering…

A mother recounts the first experience of her 5.5-year-old son who has muscular dystrophy and learning disabilities with mainstreaming in a summer day camp. (DB)

When choosing a summer camp program for a disabled child, parents should look for programs and activities that present the child with a maximum challenge that can be met successfully. After checking agencies with information on various camps, parents should consider the camp's facilities, philosophy, resources, and staff. (CB)

In this article, the author talks about three special needs camps--Camp Kirk, Camp Talisman and Camp Caglewood. Camp Kirk's philosophy is to encourage their children to take risks in a structured setting, like high ropes courses, rock climbing wall, martial arts, and traditional activities like swimming, arts and craft, drama, and others. Once…