Accessible

This camp is not wheelchair accessible. The paths are sand or wood chipped, the terrain is rocky and uneven, the dining hall and some of the cabins are up a steep hill, not to mention that all of the activities are set up for kids who can run and be active. 3 years ago, one of the OPC kids was in a wheelchair and we ended up carrying her, in the chair, everywhere around camp.

This weekend, I got an email from a family I'd just taken off the waiting list for this week of camp. The mom was following up because one of her three kids is paraplegic and in a wheelchair. I had emailed with her a few months ago and told her it might work out to have him come to camp, but that was sort of a lie, because he was on the waiting list and I thought I wasn't going to have to deal with it. I know- all of this makes me sound like a terrible person. It's not that I don't want to be able to bring every kid to camp, it's just that we are limited and I am realistic about it.

So I called her to say, um, this probably isn't going to work. But before I could, she told me how excited Danny was to be able to come to camp with his brother and sister and just be a normal kid.

As she spoke, all I could think was, "well played mom, you win this round..." Because really, what could I possibly say to that, other than, "we're really excited to have him." I told her I was calling to see what we could do to best accommodate him and be prepared. She told me he is a determined kid with a great attitude and not to treat him any differently than any other kid. His legs don't work, but he's normal.

But still, I was nervous. Normal or not, this camp is just not set up for a wheelchair. But his mom was so positive and wonderful and I was determined to make it work. I prepared his counselors that they would be carrying him and it would be a challenging week but we would have to make it work.

I was nervous, but his mom was right- he's an exceptionally positive, awesome kid. He signed up for swimming (he just crawls out of his chair into the water and then swims around with ease), sports and hasn't hesitated in anything. On Monday night, the all camp game involves running through the woods, collecting pieces of paper from different stations and then running back to the start. His counselor ran the entire hour, pushing the wheelchair at lightening speed, and Danny rocked the game! It was an amazing and wonderful thing to watch. Yes, it took a little extra effort from Counselor N, but Danny got to play, feel normal and it was wonderful.

Today was military day and once again, the soldiers came out with lots of activities (I got to drive the tank again too!). Counselor N and Counselor J put in a little extra effort and helped lift Danny up so he could climb the rock wall. He only made it as far as the counselors could boost him while he climbed with his arms, but he made it farther up than some able bodied people and it was wonderful.

I am so proud of my staff and so happy to be able to provide a positive camp experience to a kid who I wasn't sure we could serve. His mom was right about his positive attitude but it's a good lesson for me too- with the right attitude, anything is possible!