Everyone wants to go to summer camp, including children and adults with disabilities. But where can they go?
Elks Camp Grassick is one choice for camping fun in the summer. This camp has been owned and operated by the Elks of North Dakota for over 50 years. It’s located near Dawson, ND. Camp Grassick serves children and adults with various disabilities and special needs throughout six different camping sessions. Their summer schedule includes the following sessions:
- 3 Week Therapy Camp: This camp offers services from occupational therapists, speech and language therapists, and reading therapists, on an individual basis. This camp is geared toward children with various disabilities and special needs ages 7 – 15.
- Anne Carlson Center Techno Camp: This camp session is for children with physical disabilities and focused on augmentative communication. There are tech classes, music classes, recreational activities and crafts, and much more!
- 2 Week Therapy Camp (July 9-21): This gives campers ages 7-17, opportunities for social interaction with peers in a positive environment, offering various types of therapy on an individual basis as well.
- Transition Camp (July 23-28): This session is geared toward young adults ages 17-19. It has a mixture of workshops, classes and recreational activities, all preparing campers to transition from high school to independent life beyond.
- Adult Camp (August 1-5): This 5 day camp is for individuals with disabilities ages 21+. A lot of fun, crafts and recreation.
- NDAB Camp (August 6-13): The purpose of this camp session is to provide an opportunity for individuals with vision disabilities to come in contact with others dealing with the same disabilities. The minimum age is 18. There is help with adjusting to blindness, opportunities to learn new skills, and leisure time activities to enhance the quality of life.
https://youtu.be/ytz4JvY6FUg
Dreams in Motion in the Bismarck-Mandan area, is a non-profit organization which serves individuals ages 2-25, who have mobility challenges and visual disabilities, and their friends and families. They have recently been designated as a USA Paralympic Sport Club, allowing participants to get experience and excel at Paralympic sports. They work all year to provide sporting and recreational activities such as: Track and Field Day, Hope’s Vision Ski Day at Huff Hills, sled hockey, wheelchair basketball, wheelchair dance performances, curling and tennis. They provide experiences for the whole family, so the participants can play alongside their family members. Adapted equipment is provided to all. Wheel Chair Basketball camp is coming up July 11-13!
Annie’s House Adaptive Recreation Program at Bottineau Winter Park provides services year-round to individuals and veterans with intellectual and physical disabilities. They have programming and trained instructors who specialize in programming for winter and summer activities. Spring, Summer, and Fall activities include fishing, canoeing, paddleboating, hiking, biking, and horseback riding. They provide all the adaptive equipment. Scholarships are available for qualifying individuals.
Investigate what camping opportunities are still available this summer, and plan ahead for camping fun, next year. Happy Camping!