Camps for Children and Adults with Disabilities (Updated May 2024)

Description:

• Camp List for Children & Adults with Disabilities 5.2024.docx, 
• 2024 Summer Camps (Northern Virginia, Region 4)

Websites to Search for Camps:

• American Camp Association’s Camp Finder - Lists camps accredited by ACA. The advanced search function allows you to search by disability, distance from home, inclusive camps, and other variables.
• VerySpecialCamps - Summer Camps & Programs for Individuals with Special Needs
• MySummerCamps (general finder) - Find the Perfect Summer Camp for Your Child!
• Virginia Special Needs Camps - Virginia Special Needs day and overnight camps and programs (Camp/Resource.com)

Articles on Choosing a Summer Camp for your child:

• KidsHealth Camp Information: The benefits of camp, different types, how to search, questions to ask staff, etc.
• Learning Disabilities Online Camp article: Article by Ann Cathcart, the director and founder of The Learning Camp and the parent of a child with a learning disability, tells you how to evaluate summer camps and select one that is right for your child.

Excerpted from April 2024 E-news from Formed Families Forward:

Once a program is chosen, preparing ahead of time. Here are suggestions to ease the transition: 

• Empower your children by encouraging them to help make the choices about which camps or programs they attend.
• To ease anxiety, visit the facilities in advance (if possible) and rehearse transitions to and from camp. 
• Prior to camp, show enthusiasm! Get your child excited about camp and all of the fun opportunities they will have.
• Avoid focusing on abstract concepts like homesickness or potential relationships and instead focus on concrete details.
• In addition, check out the Happy Camper: Making Summer Camps Accessible guide from the Disability Law Center of Virginia.

The original camp information was provided by Camping for All, 2020. (Updated March 2024)