The Family Center on Technology and Disability
Assistive Technology Works
Newsletter for May 2009
May 2009 - Summer Camp: Trees, Tents & Technology |
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Summer Camp: Trees, Tents & Technology In This Issue....
To take full advantage of camping environments that are increasingly tech-savvy, parents, in close collaboration with camp administrators, are urged to use the pre-camp period to plan for their child’s summer experience by fully informing camp authorities about their child’s technology needs. Most camps, those with sessions that cater exclusively to kids with disabilities, as well as inclusion camps, are happy to receive as much information as possible from parents about their child’s AT use. If a child’s AT device is not portable, many camps whose administrators are proud of their staffers’ adaptability and their facilities’ accessibility will take steps to replicate the device’s benefits. The efforts of all – parents, camp administrators and counselors – are dedicated to achieving a single result: ensuring that for a summer week or more, children with disabilities who use AT will have a treasured opportunity to be carefree kids. Darla Motil, R.N., Speaks ACC summer programs, which include a residential camp, two day camps and a day program, served 1,472 children from age five on last summer. Explains Ms. Motil: “ACC and our camps fill gaps in services for children with disabilities and do not replicate what is already available elsewhere.” As a longtime rehabilitation professional Ms. Motil’s exposure to assistive technology is extensive. She lauds the enthusiasm of her collegian summer staffers for technology and their quick adaptability to the fast evolving AT used by campers. “Some of us older staffers are not nearly as quick to adapt as our young counselors are,” she says, “but that doesn’t mean the veterans don’t appreciate the value of the equipment to our campers and their families.” SSupporting our interview with Ms. Motil are resources to help families of children with disabilities who utilize AT plan for their child’s camp experience. We also feature organizations that focus on aspects of the summer camp experience and the role of AT in enriching that experience. Please share this newsletter with other organizations, families and professionals who may benefit from it. We invite you to visit us at http://www.fctd.info. Summer Camp 2009: AT Goes to Camp An Interview with Darla Motil, R.N., Community Relations Manager,
“Our counselors and junior administrative staffers are college age. They’re digital natives and are a good match for our campers who use assistive technology. Together they have an instinctive and lifelong appreciation and understanding of technology, which certainly makes for a rich camp experience for the children and aids in communication with families,” she says. The technology expertise of the young counselors marks a sea change in the relationships between youthful counselors and older mentors, she remarks. “We older staffers have always taught the younger ones but now the tables are turned; they are the ones who are teaching us – about technology. In our in-house operations it’s beneficial to have the younger people nudge all of us into the digital age.” She recalls an incident that occurred last Christmas that is emblematic of this change. “My husband gave me a BlackBerry for Christmas. My 26-year-old son asked him, ‘What were you thinking when you bought that for her?’ My husband replied, “And you’re going to spend the next six hours teaching her how to use it.’” The Push-Pull of Generations – and a Stereotype Dispelled The campers, too, have lived with technology nearly all their lives. Learning about new technology and being receptive to new approaches is as natural to them as it is to their digital native counselors,” she claims. “Kids with disabilities suffer from a cruel stereotype,” Ms. Motil claims. “When individuals not accustomed to this population regard a child in a wheelchair, they see only a human being with a contorted body or with muscles that are atrophied, a child who does not appear ‘typical.’ But these individuals have not yet been exposed to the brilliance that is often inside these kids’ heads.” Fortunately, she adds, “we attract administrative staff and counselors whose children, friends or other family members have special needs. Having this experience enables our staff members to provide assistance to campers which is compassionate and appropriate,” she asserts. According to Ms. Motil, campers with disabilities adapt fast to new AT. “Give them a device and show them how to use it and explain how the device benefits them and campers catch on very quickly.” She cites the recent college graduation of an ACC camp alumnus who advanced through the organization’s activities while receiving therapy services. The young man was diagnosed with very severe cerebral palsy at birth, she explains, but was able to progress through school thanks to his persistence and his mother’s advocacy skills. “He attended camp every year since he was old enough and still returns each summer, now as a counselor. He communicates exclusively through an augmentative speech program via his computer. He has a joystick that he moves with his chin. He talks and lectures at our board meetings and annual meetings as well as at our yearly black-tie fundraising gala.” Preparing the Way for Campers’ AT Ms. Motil continues, “We have different camping sessions for kids. We do a camping week each year with the Muscular Dystrophy Association. In that camping session we deal with equipment that includes respirators and hospital equipment that has to be brought in to the camp from the outside because it is not our standard equipment and those children have needs that are different from the needs of our usual campers.”
Information about the equipment to be used by a specific incoming camper is communicated to the group of counselors that will work with that child, Ms. Motil explains. “If a child uses equipment with which we are unfamiliar we ask the child’s parents to bring the child and the child’s device ahead of time to demonstrate to us how they work with the equipment. If that is impossible or does not happen before the child’s arrival at camp then on the child’s first day of the camping session, when child and family arrive, we will have inservice with the family or caregiver.” Although she admits that “we get some technology curves thrown at us occasionally in terms of equipment we’re unfamiliar with, most of the time we have a good understanding of the equipment.” The ACC camps employ physical, speech and occupational therapists “who are accustomed to all of ACC’s settings, i.e. education, therapy, rehab, mental health, and others.” Those therapists and trained professional staff are a part of the pre-camp orientation in which all of the camping assistants participate, she explains. “During the orientation therapists will demonstrate the use of devices and make sure that the camping staffers are comfortable with the technology.” Occasionally, however, children bring very sophisticated assistive devices to camp. Usually, she says, these devices are designed to enhance communication or mobility. We do our best to work with whatever the child utilizes.” ACC Campers: a Wide Range of Disabilities “We try to arrange our programming around specific conditions,” she notes. “When it comes to kids with autism, with emotional/psychological issues, we design programming specifically for that population because these children require a lot of organization, structure and a cooperative relationship with the child from a mental and emotional standpoint.” In terms of disabilities, she says, “in any one camping session week there is a good mix of campers. They help each other so much. The children really get to have fun. Our summer residential program is not goal-oriented, or therapy-oriented. We are not giving the children exercises to do or working on any specific goals to be achieved in that week.” However, she adds, “Our other locations and centers that provide year-round programming are very goal-specific and focused.” For example, she points out, “in our autism classrooms we have very specific goals for each child. The children have an individualized educational plan (IEP) that we follow in conjunction with a child’s school district. In therapy the children are goal-oriented as well. Our therapists are constantly working toward specific goals.” Residential camp, however, “is one week a year in which these children get to be kids. They do make a lot of progress, though, in that week because they are able to learn about other children with similar issues or with different issues that impact them in ways that are similar – and the kids help each other. It’s a rewarding experience.” Early Intervention Is a Strong Suit
Children come to Camp Cheerful from several Ohio feeder agencies, including Help Me Grow (HMG), a statewide program designed to target children birth-age three who are deemed to be at-risk. HMG staff are housed in two of our three locations, including camp. “These early intervention specialists work with families in the community to help identify children early and get them the services they need. They then refer kids and families to appropriate agencies. We accept referrals from HMG when the children referred are appropriate for our services. There are many other agencies networked into this program. It has been an effective program.” Technology Is Never an Insurmountable Issue: “We Have to be Adaptable” In a technology dilemma that is not easily resolvable, she explains, use of a computer often provides a solution. She cites the child who could not bring a unique communication device to camp. “The child told us that he was unable to communicate by phone with his parents while he was at camp. Ahead of time we agreed to have the child send an email to his parents -- this was a few years ago before we were able to provide him with instant messaging. We agreed on a time. The parents were at the computer. The child would send his good-night messages and the parents would reply. That approach seemed to satisfy everyone. We try to accommodate as much as possible.” Transferring AT to Camp: How Parents Can Help Parents, she continues, should be open-minded as they and their child enter a camp situation. “That is especially apt in a case where we might not be able to exactly replicate in a camp environment what the child and his/her parents are accustomed to at home. However, we can devise ways to adapt.” She notes that the most successful experiences often occur “when a family not only is willing to let us make adaptations but also participates in that process. We have found that when adapting equipment to a camp environment families often have the best ideas.” Flexibility on the families’ part and the camp’s, she emphasizes, is key to achieving a successful equipment adaptation. Consumer Technology at Camp “We offer computer and internet access for the campers so that they can continue to participate in their social networks, which are very important to them.” However, she admits, campers’ computer time is limited because their days are so full of activities. “They swim, ride horses, fish, canoe and climb the high ropes. In fact, we have a 50-foot tower high ropes course that is 100% accessible. It doesn’t matter what a camper’s disability is, one way or another, even if it means that we harness the camper in and we use an elevator to get the camper to the top, if the camper desires he/she can make it to the top of the tower. There is a zip line that takes campers back down and actually lowers them into their wheelchairs.” After a day of intense physical activity, she says, there is little time or energy for recreational “techno time.” This posture, however, does not mean that children are discouraged from communicating with their families and friends. Staff members establish a communication schedule that parents and children are happy with, she explains, that accommodates families’ need for respite and the children’s need for contact. AT for Education, Even at Camp Day campers also make use of consumer technology, she says. “We access web-based learning tools for kids with a wide variety of special needs. We have separate computers set up just for the campers to use and interact with these programs and educational tools. We’ve also purchased (computer-based) programs, or the programs have been purchased on our behalf, such as PECS picture exchange systems. We are finding that web-based programming and interactive whiteboard technology allow us to go much further than the typical picture exchange.” When day campers are exposed to a device or program with which they are unfamiliar “we provide the family with all the necessary information about [them] so that the family can follow up at home.” Campers are then taught to use the new AT. “If the technology is very unusual, detailed or involved, we enlist one of our resident experts from another program who may not be on staff at the camp but who will visit our facility to provide consultation on that issue.” Universal Accessibility: No Camper Is Left Out
This approach, she says, “requires foresight and planning on our part and making sure that universal accessibility is embedded in the training we provide for camp counselors. We are all about inclusion. A big part of their job, if the counselors are participating in an activity or working with a group, is to be aware of when a camper is off to the side and uninvolved. Counselors need to determine how to engage that child and what the obstacle is to the camper’s involvement in the activity. Sometimes it is as simple as a child not enjoying the activity or that he/she is intimidated by some aspect of the activity. If that is the case it is the counselor’s job to find an activity that the camper would enjoy and then develop a group to participate in that activity with that camper.” Maintaining Service in an Era of Scarce Resources In her opinion, an organization’s success in a time of scarce resources depends on the skill of the executive director and the inspiration with which she/he infuses the organization. “For us, success emanates from our own executive director, Pat Nobili, who is without a doubt the most determined and energetic woman I’ve ever met. She won’t accept ‘no’ as an answer when it is something that our kids and families need. We may not always get what we want and need the first time in that regard, or the 10th time, but we will eventually get what’s needed. That’s not an empty boast. We have the kind of dedicated team that can make that boast a reality far more often than not, even in an environment as difficult and uncertain as the current one.” Money is important, she readily concedes. “We all need it. All organizations need it.” But money is not what gets you out of bed in the morning. What gets you up and out is the desire to make a difference. If an organization is fortunate enough to attract a team of professionals that is inspired by that notion almost any objective can eventually be achieved.” Register today for the The Insitute will take place This year’s topics include: Our faculty of AT experts and Institute participants will share successful http://www.fctd.info/registration_types/1/registrations/new The FCTD 2009 AT Resources CD is here!
Bulk copies are avaibale to distribute at conferences or to school personnel, please contact us at fctd@aed.org. RESOURCES ARTICLES How Do We Include Accessible Technology-Rich Activities in Our Summer Camp?
http://www.washington.edu/accesscomputing/articles?65
VIDEOS Camp Beyond Summer WEBSITES CampParents.org Summer Camps and Programs for Children and Youth with Disabilities Family Village: Special Needs Camps Summer Camps KNOWLEDGE NETWORK MEMBERS Agapй Therapeutic Riding Center Bradford Woods Camp Sertoma at Confidence Learning Center
Camp Winston Lisa Beth Gerstman Foundation
For more information, contact: Funding provided by the US Department of Education under grant number H327F080003 Project Officer: Jo Ann McCann |
Children with disabilities who use assistive technology will soon flock to residential and day camps throughout the county. There, they will be met by college-age counselors, digital natives, who are eager users of technology they know and eager learners of technology with which they are not yet familiar.
When it comes to technological expertise among staff, counselors and campers at camps operated by the Achievement Centers for Children (ACC), youth is not wasted on the young, according to ACC community relations manager Darla Motil.
When Camp Cheerful residential or day sessions include children who use communication devices or other AT technology, “we’ll acquire the relevant information about that equipment ahead of time from parents. Depending on the equipment’s level of sophistication “we bring our new counselors in every year for a one- or two-week training program. The intensity of the training is dependent upon the disabilities of the kids participating in each session.”
ACC campers have a wide range of disabilities, Ms. Motil says. “We run the entire gamut. We have specific programs aimed at kids with physical disabilities, such as cerebral palsy, chromosomal abnormalities, Down syndrome, nearly every type of physical impairment. We also possess expertise with kids’ psychological, social and developmental issues.” ACC operates programs for children on the autism spectrum, from Asperger’s to lower functioning conditions, and pervasive developmental delays.
The ACC rule of thumb, she explains, “is that we work with any disability that occurred in childhood and is a lifelong issue. For example, we won’t rehab a 55-year-old stroke victim but a child who came through our program with whom we have worked through the years can come back to us as an adult for specific help in certain areas. This is not a big part of what we do but we do occasionally work with kids who are now adults.”
Parents of children who bring AT to camp can help the AT transfer process by teaching camp staff about devices with which the staffers might be unfamiliar, Ms. Motil advises. Parents should also be available to answer questions about issues associated with the device their child uses. “We always have a high level of cooperation with our families.
Providing universal accessibility requires imagination and a spirit of adaptability on the part of camp staff and counselors, she insists. “We make use of the diverse expertise of our staff. We work very collaboratively. For example, our camp director will collaborate with our speech and language expert or with our social work/family support staff to determine the best way to achieve universal accessibility in every single activity.”
Founded in 1986, Agapй, accredited by the North American Riding for the Handicapped Association (NAHRA), provides a form of therapy beneficial to children with physical, cognitive or emotional impairments. Agapй is one of the nation’s largest therapeutic riding facilities, serving riders in central Indiana. During the school year Agapй is utilized by riders from 19 school systems and two state schools. The 2009 summer session lasts from June 8 through August 7. For more information, contact:
Bradford Woods is Indiana University’s 2,500 Outdoor Center and inclusive learning environment. The facility is comprised of three centers: the Camping and Retreats Center, the Environmental Resource Center and the Challenge Education Center. Since establishing its first camp for children with disabilities in 1955, Bradford Woods’ programs have focused on the recreational and therapeutic needs of children and adults with disabilities and chronic illnesses. For more information, contact:
A camp for children who are deaf and hard of hearing, Camp Sertoma attracts campers from rural and metro areas of the Dakotas, Iowa, Minnesota and Nebraska. Counselors are recruited annually from Gallaudet University in Washington, DC and participate in an intense week-long training period before campers arrive. The camp has facilities for crafts and workshops, seminars, family gatherings, an astronomy room and a nature center. Cabins are grouped by age level and divided into two categories: sign and visual communications only and sign and auditory communication. Campers are encouraged to be as self-sufficient as possible. Camp activities include archery, nature crafts, a challenge course, swimming, a climbing wall, nature study, canoeing, pontooning, fishing, hiking, hayrides, orienteering, campfires, games, astronomy and storytelling. Camper fees are subsidized via support from Sertoma clubs from the Great Plains Region. No camper is tuned away for financial reasons. For additional information, contact:
Camp Nuhop, located in Ohio’s southern Ashland County, is a residential summer camp for children with learning disabilities, attention deficit and behavior disorders. The camp serves 560 children during six weeks. Nuhop programs include:
Founded in 1969, NARHA provides Equine Assisted Activity and Therapy (EAAT) programs in the U.S. and Canada through a network of nearly 800 member centers. NARHA supports 5,500 individual members and more than 730 NARHA programs nationwide. More than 5,000 specially screened horses make safe interactions possible. Annually more than 42,000 individuals with special needs benefit from NARHA activities, which include therapeutic riding, hippotherapy, equine facilitated psychotherapy and learning, driving, interactive vaulting and competition. NARHA serves individuals with a wide range of physical, cognitive, and emotional disabilities. For additional information about NARHA, contact:
Camp Northwood provides summer programs for children ranging in age from 8-18 diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome, high functioning autism, attention deficits, language processing weaknesses and mild learning issues. All Norwood campers experience delayed social development, weak executive functioning and poor organizational skills. Activities include aquatics, outdoor education, land sports and arts/media. Each camper participates in a formal academic program five days per week for one hour each day. The entire camp population participates in the academic programs: no camper is ever singled out for special tutoring or removed from another activity for academics. Campers work in small groups; however, individually designed programs are created to meet the academic needs of each. Reading comprehension, math reinforcement, creative writing, independent reading, handwriting skills are areas commonly addressed. Each cabin group is comprised of 5-8 campers with a minimum of three counselors. For additional information, contact:
Located in the Muskoka region of Ontario, Camp Winston serves children with complex neurological disorders who require highly specialized support. The camp operates four two-week sessions attended by 120 campers ages 6-17 from across Canada. Campers may have autism spectrum disorders, ADHD, Tourette Syndrome, learning disabilities, obsessive compulsive disorder or oppositional deficit disorder. Activities include swimming, arts and crafts, theater, a challenge ropes course, nature studies and canoe trips. Special retreats for parents, grandparents and siblings are available. For further information, contact:
The foundation enables children with physical disabilities in the New York City area and the Northeast U.S. to attend summer camp. By partnering with existing accredited camps, the foundation gives families the ability to send children into integrated camp settings. Partner camps include: