Camping

Most of the camps we've previewed on this page are specifically for children with disabilities. That's just the beginning. There are hundreds of camps in the southeastern New England area. Many are inclusive and have accessible facilities. Expand your search. Here are some web sites that may help you find the right summer camp.

Move, Think, Create, Communicate. The Autism Project of Rhode Island. For children with autism or a related disability, ages five (and entering kindergarten) to 19.

The Rhode Island Youth Leadership Forum. A free, innovative program for high school juniors and seniors with disabilities who have demonstrated leadership capabilities in their communities and schools. Takes place August 9-12, 2010 at Camp Canonicus in Exeter.

Project Respect 2010 Youth Leadership Camp. RICJ - Rhode Island for Community & Justice 80 Washington Street, Providence, RI 02903. (401) 467-1717. Contact Program Director Nanda Shewmangal for information. Camp will be held June 26-July 1 at Camp Aldersgate in North Scituate. Youth learn through interactive activities, discussion groups, workshops, creative evening programs and recreational time, and leave with new tools for leadership and friendships to carry far into the future.

Camp Ok-Wa-Nessett/Trailblazer. Sponsored by the Kent Count YMCA. (401) 828-0130. Susan Shanley, Senior Program Director. Day camp for children in preschool through grade 8 whose IEP identifies social, emotional, physical, and educational needs. Archery, arts and crafts, canoeing, sports and games, swimming, music and free play in Kent County Y's Okey Falls Spray Park. Speech/language and occupational therapy will be provided based on IEP requirements. Trailblazer participants must be referred to camp by a school.

Camp Kindred. A three week therapeutic day camp for children between the ages of 9 and 16 who have Asperger’s or similar disorder.

Camp Ruggles. 133 Stone Dam Road, North Scituate, RI 02857. (401) 647-5508, (401) 568-6525 (summer). Located on Snake Hill Road in Glocester, RI. Co-ed for children ages 6-12 years who have emotional disabilities. Activities include swimming, arts and crafts, games, hiking and boating. Not wheelchair accessible.

The East Providence Parks and Recreation Department. (401-435-7511) Provides year round recreational activities for people with disabilities including a free seven-week summer day camp for East Providence youth. Adults have the opportunity to participate on a weekly basis in programs that encompass passive and active leisure arts. There is no fee to engage in these activities. The Department offers door-to-door transportation for all special needs programs and its 21-passenger bus is wheelchair accessible. A medical release form is required.

Jewish Community Center of Rhode Island. 401 Elmgrove Avenue, Providence, RI 02906. (401) 861-8800 ext. 147. Wide range of camping experiences ranging from sports to dance starting at age 2 up to age 12. Accessible pool and aquatics program.

KIDKAMP Connection. RI Department of Elderly Affairs, 35 Howard Avenue, Cranston, RI 02920. (401) 456-0604, X 177. For children under age 18 being raised by a grandparent or other relative 60 years old or older. KIDKAMP Connection gives these children scholarships to attend camp during school breaks and summer vacation. Also supports other Saturday and after school education and recreation programs. Many Rhode Island YMCAs and other camps participate.

Moses Brown Day Camps. Offers a variety of camping experiences for children ranging in ages from 3 to 14. Camps are not wheelchair accessible.

Camp Hemlocks. Muscular Dystrophy Association. 931 Jefferson Boulevard, Suite 1005, Warwick, RI 02886. (401) 732-1910, (800) 289-8805. Week long camp experience, July 11-16, for children ages 6-17 registered with MDA. Featuring camp activities adapted to the abilities of children with a variety of neuromuscular disorders. Activities include swimming, arts and crafts, water sports, boating, fishing, wheelchair sports, and rock climbing. Camp Hemlocks takes placein Hebron, Ct. The camp and activities are handicap accessible. It is free for those registered with MDA.

Perspectives Corporation. Day camp for children with and without disabilities, ages 5-21 conducted at the Pastore Leisure Center in Charlestown. Camp schedules are designed to address specific Individual Education Plan goals that may include both academic and social skills development. Most campers qualify for Extended School Year services based on identified IEP goals.

Shake-A-Leg "Confidence is Cool" Kids and Teen camps. P.O. Box 1264, Newport, RI 02840. (401) 849-8898. Contact Sarah Kirwin, at sarahk@shakealeg.org. Kids Camp is a day-camp for children 7-12 years old who have experienced either a spinal cord injury or a related central nervous system disability.

Martha's Vineyard Cerebral Palsy Camp, Inc. Camp Jabberwocky. Swimming, singing, dancing and drumming at the beach; horseback riding in sunny pastures; parasailing and jet-skiing; hiking, basketball and baseball; movies, parades, concerts and ice cream in town; fishing and sailing on Lake Tashmoo; painting, pottery, poetry and computers fill more restful times.Conducts sessions in July and August.

Camp Kyle Woodruff for Children with Diabetes. Three week day camp for children ages 5-14 who have diabetes. camp is held at Camp Buxton in Rehoboth, Mass.

Camp Aldersgate Special Needs Camp. A one week program offered by the United Methodist Camp located in Glocester for adults (over 21) with developmental disabilities.

Camp Hope/American Cancer Society, 931 Jefferson Boulevard, Suite 3004, Warwick, RI 02886. (401) 243-2600. A week long residential camp for youths 7-17 who have or had cancer and their siblings, August 15-20, 2010. Activities include arts and crafts, fishing, canoeing, soccer, basketball, campfires and lots more. Free.

Camp Surefire. YMCA Camp Westwood, Coventry. (401) 474-1606. A program of the Diabetes Foundation of Rhode Island, Inc. Combines recreational activities with diabetes education emphasizing independence and a positive attitude towards diabetes management. Type 1 diabetes only. 24-hour coverage by both a physician and registered nurse.

Hasbro Children's Hospital Asthma Camp. (401) 444-8340. Rhode Island's overnight camp from June 27 - July 1 designed specifically for children with asthma. The annual summer camp gives children the opportunity to control their asthma through education in a positive, healthy, safe and challenging atmosphere. The camp is open to boys and girls ages 9-13. Camp is held at the Canonicus Camp and Conference Center in Exeter. Around the clock nursing and medical staff available.

Camp Mauchatea (Be My Guide). Rhode Island Lions Sight Foundation and the Rhode Island State Services for the Blind and Visually Impaired offer this free, week long camping experience for all Rhode Islanders ages 6-17 who are legally blind.

Camp Isola Bella. American School for the Deaf, The camp, located northwest of Hartford in Taconic, Conn., welcomes deaf and hard of hearing children and youths from all over the country for a wonderful camp experience in a friendly and sociable place.

Camp Starfish. Serves children with emotional, behavioral or learning disabilities by providing a safe therapeutic milieu in a natural camp setting with a one-one camper to staff ratio.

Camp Celiac. One-week camp at Camp Aldersgate, Glocester, for children ages 7-16 with Celiac disease. Hosted by The Massachusetts and Rhode Island Celiac Support Group for Children & Adults, Too.

Camp Horizons, Inc. Residential camp for children and adults aged 8-40 and older who have developmental disabilities.

Camp Wee-Kan-Tu. A one week overnight camp (August 19-24) for children and teens ages 8-17 with epilepsy.

Easter Seals Camp Hemlocks. More than 600 children and adults with disabilities are served annually by Easter Seals programs at Camp Hemlocks.

Hole in the Wall Gang Camp. A camp experience along with medical care for children ages 7-15 with cancer, serious blood disorders or HIV.

Clara Barton Camp for girls and Joslin camp for boys with Type 1 diabetes. Resident summer camp for children 6-17.

4H Camp Howe. The camp's Echo program is for children and youth ages 7-22 who have a disability. Also operates a job readiness program.

Camp Allen. Residential summer camp for individuals with physical and/or developmental disabilities. Serves up to 400 individuals each summer ranging in age from 6-95.

Camp Sno-Mo. This inclusive, residential program offers sailing, canoeing, fishing, volleyball, hiking, a ropes course, and craft activities for campers with disabilities to experience alongside boy scouts who have no disabilities. Seven sessions from June 27-August 20.

Camp Thorpe. Camping experiences for children and adults with a variety of physical and developmental disabilities.

Fatima Special Needs Week. For children aged 9 and older and adults with physical and cognitive disabilities. Also operates Exceptional Citizens Week.

Camp HASC. An award winning summer program of the Hebrew Academy for Special Children. Located in Parksville New York in Catskill Mountains, Camp HASC provides children and adults with intellectual and physical disabilities the opportunity to enjoy a seven week sleep-away camp experience.

Camp Huntington.For children and young adults with learning and developmental disabilities, attention deficit and attention deficit with hyperactivity disorders, autism spectrum disorders, asperger's syndrome, pervasive developmental disabilities and other disabilities.

Camp Northwood. Program oriented toward children and teens ages 8-18 who have difficulties in social and academic settings due to learning challenges and/or attention deficit disorders.

Summit. For children and teens ages 7-17 with verbal or non-verbal learning disabilities, attention deficit disorder, attention deficit hypersensitivity disorder, Asperger's syndrome, mild pervasive developmental delays, Tourettes syndrome, obsessive, compulsive disorders, and mild mood disorders.

Camp Waban. Hosts summer camp for families and agencies that serve children and adults with disabilities.

Breckenridge Outdoor Education Center. BOEC strives to accommodate people with disabilities while being inclusive and representative of a mainstream philosophy. Welcomes people of all abilities from around the world.

Camps 2009/2010: A Directory Of Camps And Summer Programs For Children And Youth With Special Needs And Disabilities In The Metro New York Area (English And Spanish).