Here is cheap and easy bubble recipe :

Bubble Recipe
1/2 cup of dish washing liquid (Dawn or Joy)
2 cups of water
2 teaspoons of sugar

Add your choice of food coloring if you like.

Bubble recipe courtesy of Lifelearning.org
Here is more information about cerebral palsy therapies.

Essays are due April 27, 2007.

Winning essays will be printed in the United Cerebral Palsy newsletter Pathways. Winners will receive a stuffed “Ability Bear” and a gift certificate for a pizza, and their schools will receive the books Ceana has CP and The Gun Lake Adventure Series mysteries.

Essays should be 500 words or less and contain the student’s name, age, school and address. The deadline is April 27, 2007.

Mail or fax essays to:

UCP Michigan
3401 E. Saginaw, Suite 216
Lansing MI 48912
Fax: 517-203-1203

They do offer a “Special Access Pass.” The pass works the same as a Fast Pass, where you can go through a much shorter, quicker line with next to no wait. The problem is, most rides don’t have a Fast Pass option, especially those for younger children.
Special Access Passes are NOT available for use during peak seasons. Although, you may be able to challenge and get one.
In some cases special needs kids have been sent through regular lines and made to wait 1- 2 hours to use the rides, and to make matters worse, strollers are not allowed in the lines. This may be impossible for some children with cerebral palsy to bear.

A little known fact, if you go to guest services, you can receive a special sticker to put on your stroller that says “wheelchair” and it will be allowed in the regular line. Why this information is so hard to find I just don’t know. I was recently at Walt Disney World and was astonished at the lack of information.

Do you have any tips or advice for families traveling to Walt Disney World with a special needs child, or a child with cerebral palsy? Please share with us by posting in the comments section!

There are many barrier-free and accessible playgrounds in the United States- for a complete list of playground or to find one in your neighbourhood, you can visit http://boundlessplaygrounds.org/findplaygrounds/.

Below find a list of books that any can enjoy, living with or without cerebral palsy. If you know of others books you would like to recommend, please feel free to post in the comments sections and share with other families. We would love to here from you.

The Barn at Gun Lake
by Johnnie Tuitel, Eduardo Pilande (Illustrator), Eduardo Pilande (Illustrator), Dan Sharp (Illustrator), Sharon Lamson

Gr 4-6 – Johnnie was born with cerebral palsy and is confined to a wheelchair. He does not find his disability to be a handicap, just a challenge to overcome in order to be accepted by the kids in his new town. To join the Gun Lake Gang, he needs to complete an initiation. He must go to the old barn by the lake and bring back something to prove he was there. He stumbles onto a CD-pirating ring while in the barn and the gang decides to find out who is running it. In the second book, Johnnie and his friends solve the mysterious explosion of a race car. Many clues point to the mechanic, and the Gun Lake Gang takes the case on to clear his name. The kids in the gang are realistic. Some of them accept Johnnie, some question his disability, and one boy is uncomfortable with the situation but tries, with reluctance, to accept what Johnnie has to offer. The characters are well defined and the mysteries are puzzling enough to keep readers involved.

Small Steps
by Louis Sachar

Two years after being released from Camp Green Lake, Armpit is home in Austin, Texas, trying to turn his life around. But it’s hard when you have a record, and everyone expects the worst from you. The only person who believes in him is Ginny, his 10-year old disabled neighbor. Together, they are learning to take small steps. And he seems to be on the right path, until X-Ray, a buddy from Camp Green Lake, comes up with a get-rich-quick scheme. This leads to a chance encounter with teen POP sensation, Kaira DeLeon, and suddenly his life spins out of control, with only one thing for certain. He’ll never be the same again.

Rolling along: The Story of Taylor and His Wheelchair
by Jamee Riggio Heelan, Nicola Simmonds (Illustrator)

Taylor and Tyler are twins. Though alike in many ways, Taylor was born with cerebral palsy and Tyler was not. When Taylor learned how to use a wheelchair it changed his life. Now he can keep up with his friends at school and even play basketball. His mobility allows him to be more independent, which he likes. This story can be beneficial for youngsters who are adjusting to a wheelchair so they can develop a sense of pride and accomplishment in their mobility. It’s also useful for siblings, friends, relatives, and classmates of a child who uses a wheelchair.

Imagine Me on a Sit-Ski!
by George Moran

Billy, who uses a wheelchair, never imagined himself able to ski, so he’s very excited when he discovers that he and his disabled classmates are going to have a chance to learn. He describes his experiences at Snow Valley, where disabled people are able to use adaptive equipment and are helped by specially trained instructors. Some of Billy’s classmates use such devices as crutches on skis; Billy uses a sit-ski. His detailed narrative describes how the equipment works as well as his adventures on the slopes. The accompanying watercolor illustrations are lively and colorful and will be helpful for introducing readers to specialized ski equipment. A book that will inspire as well as promote understanding and awareness.

On Being Sarah
by Elizabeth Helfman
Gr 5-8 – Sarah, 12, is confined to a wheelchair, with limited movement and no speech, the result of cerebral palsy. Her story involves her struggle and growth in regard to self-image; her relationships with family, peers, and neighbors; her adjustment at school; and the beginnings of a romance. Her thoughts are set in italics, reminding readers that she is nonverbal. Charles Bliss’s system of pictoral/symbol communication is worked in throughout the story, as Sarah uses this system. Helfman supplies keen realism and compassionate descriptions of the girl’s response to physical and emotional frustration, and her heroine is both introspective and outwardly determined.

Be Quiet Marina!
by Kirsten de Bear, Kirsten DeBear

Moira and Marina are special children. They’re students at the Bank Street Family Center preschool. Using black and white photos, the story follows Moria and Marina at preschool and the ups and downs of their relationship as friends. Marina is a very outgoing child who enjoys lots of activity and noise. Moira is a quiet child who enjoys playing alone. Even though they are friends, their different personalities and needs cause conflict at preschool. The photos and text relate how Moira and Marina solve their differences by communicating with one another, a task for all preschoolers. Through the use of language, each is able to confront her problems and solve them. This story is a gentle reminder that everyone has special needs, but we must all communicate effectively to understand and relate to one another. The fact that the girls seem to solve their own problem will inspire other youngsters to do the same. Viewing special needs children as just children in everyday situations, in their own words, should inspire understanding.

They have a huge data base, you just have to input that type of disability your child has (physical, sensatory, cognitive or communicative). It will list and rate toys that your child might enjoy.

Connecticut

• Kris’ Camp
• Camp Horizons provides winter weekend get-a-ways, a week long holiday event, and 8 weeks of residential summer camp for children and adults who are mild to moderately mentally handicapped. In South Windham, CT.
• Camp Hemlocks, in Hebron, is a rustic, barrier-free, year-round camping facility which provides recreational, educational and social programs for children and adults with disabilities and their families.
• Time for Life
  Holds a summer camp in Martha’s Vineyard for kids with cancer and their families.

Delaware

• Camp Fairlee provides recreational camping for children and adults with disabilities, and respite for caregivers, in Delaware and on Maryland’s Eastern Shore.
• Atlantic Coast Special Educational Services provides full time, summer & respite residential services for people with learning related disabilities (Ocean View, DE).
• PECS Two Week Intensive Summer Program is designed to enhance the lives of children (2yr-6yr) with autism and related developmental disabilities.
• Summer at the Cedars, Bridgeview, DE. Please call 302/337-3200 for more info [ADHD/ADD focus].

District of Columbia

• Summer Adventure Camp, Washington, DC. Sensory integration, ages 4-9. (202) 986-9896.
• Washington Parent Summer Camp Guide lists all types of summer camps.

Maine

• Camp Sunshine, in Casco, provides a respite for children with life threatening illnesses and their families.

Maryland

• Camp Fairlee provides recreational camping for children and adults with disabilities, and respite for caregivers, in Delaware and on Maryland’s Eastern Shore.
• National Speech/Language Therapy Center, Bethesda. Speech, OT.
• Therapeutic Summer Camp, in Silver Springs, is operated by The Boys’ & Girls’ Homes and Community Services, Inc.
• Camp Greentop, Physical and multiple disabilities, Ages 7+.
• Capital Camps, Rockville, MD. Jewish Program. Special needs, ages 9-13. (301) 468-CAMP.
• Life Horse, in Frederick, helps terminally and chronically ill children under the age of 21 find happiness and companionship through emotional and spiritual healing using horses.
• Kamp Akomplish, in southern Maryland, has a camp and also provides respite services. 301-870-3226.

Massachusetts

• Camp Starfish serves emotionally, behaviorally, and learning disabled children by providing a safe therapeutic milieu in a natural camp setting. By providing a one-to-one camper to staff ratio the unique demands of each camper may be met while forging individual trusting relationships. Camp Starfish is located on 12 private acres in Brewster, MA.
• Camp New Connections is a Pragmatic Language Group program that serves children and adolescents who are high functioning, but struggling with the social deficits associated with Asperger’s Disorder, Nonverbal Learning Disability, and other Developmental Disorders.
• YouthCare runs a therapeutic summer camp for children with asperger’s, PDD and ADHD Associated with Massachusetts General Hospital in Charlestown.
• Camp Arrowhead, on Lake Cochituate, is a day and residential camp that serves children and adults with disabilities.
• Handi-Kids, in Bridgewater, provides recreational and therapy services for mentally and physically challenged children.
• Camp Safe Haven, children with AIDS, in Vineyard Haven, MA.
• Autism Treatment center of America’s Sonrise Program for families with special children (Option Institute, Sheffield, MA).
• Camp Echo Bridge, Newton, integrates children with special needs with more typical children, and serves kids ages 3-15.
• Time for Life holds a summer camp in Martha’s Vineyard for kids with cancer and their families.
• Camp Carole, in West Roxbury, is a camp for children with cancer.
• Camp S.T.A.R. is for children ages 5 through 22 with physical, cognitive, sensory, emotional, and/or multiple disabilities. For more information, please call the YMCA of the North Shore at 978-922-0990, ext 129.

Can’t find what you are looking for? Here is a listing of other web sites that list camps.

New Hampshire

• Camp Fatima’s Special Needs E.C. Week, Wolfeboro, New Hampshire.
• Camp Without Barriers for Children and Adults with Disabilities. Camp Sno-Mo is an inclusive camping program that partners the Boy Scouts with children who have physical and cognitive disabilities.
• Wediko Summer Program in the Monadnock region, is focused on children whose learning, social development and self-direction is lagging.
• Camp Sno-Mo is an inclusive camping program that partners the Boy Scouts with children who have physical and cognitive disabilities.
• Camp Carpenter offers a Manchester-based residential or day camp in collaboration with the cub scouts.

New Jersey

• PECS Two Week Intensive Summer Program, designed to enhance the lives of children and adults with autism and related developmental disabilities.
• Camp Merry Hearts focuses on respite for families, achievement in challenges, building of self-esteem in a safe environment, opportunities to have friends and to get along with others.
• Harbor Haven, in West Orange, is a 7-week, co-ed day camp for children ages 3-15 with mild special needs.
• Round Lake Camp/New Jersey YM-YWHA Camps, Fairfield, NJ. Please call 973.575.3333 ext 122 for more info [focus on ADD/Learning Disabilities].
• Children’s Specialized Hospital in Mountainside runs both summer camps and day camps.
• Camp Oakhurst serves physically challenged adults and children in Oakhurst, NJ.
• Summer Learning Programs, provides alternative education for students with Attention Deficit Disorder and behavioral concerns. It is run by the Windsor Schools in Morristown, Patterson, and Pompton.
• Camp Star, in Rahway, is a day camp for special needs kids 8-21.
• Camp Excel, in Howell, is a specialized day camp for children ages 5-17 with ADHD and others with Social Skills Challenges.
• Camp Nejeda, in Stillwater, is a residential summer camp for children with diabetes with an emphasis on providing diabetes self management and nutrition education in a traditional camp setting.
• New Jersey Elks Camp Moore is a recreational camp for handicapped children in the Ramapo Mountains. Email Easter Seals Camp, in Mt. Juliet Tennessee, offers several summer sessions for various disabilities as well as some integrated camp experiences. Easter Seals, TN also holds Respite Weekends throughout the year.
• Camp Mockingbird is a free summer camp for blind youth, ages 7-17, of the Mid-South. Full camping activities are offered for one week in late July or early August. Supervision with qualified teachers and counselors. A resident doctor is provided. Sponsored by Memphis/White Station Lions Club. For more info: 901-767-3896 or 1-800-767-9752.

Louisiana

• Med Camps of Louisiana offers a 3 day
  camp for children with autism.
• The
  BREC, in Baton Rouge,
  runs several day camps, each of which is open to children with challenges.
  Camp
  Sunshine is
  a day camp specifically for children with challenges.
• Camp Quality is a
  summer camping experience and year-round support program for children with
  cancer.

Mississippi

• Kamp
  Kaleidoscope is a one week summer camp for children with an autism
  spectrum disorder and their neuro-typical peers.

North
Carolina

• The Autism Society of North
  Carolina sponsors two Summer Camps,
  Camp Royall, in Chatham
  County, and Montain Adventure, in
  Black Type
  Mountain. Each is a residential
  summer camp for individuals with autism, ages 4 to adult, and you can
  learn more about both camps at the link above.
• SIGHT is
  a two-week outdoor residential program for children and adolescents with
  autism spectrum disorder and Asperger’s
  Syndrome. SIGHT is one of the Talisman Summer
  Programs which also serve ADHD and other populations.
• Camp G.R.A.C.E, in City
  Raleigh, is a day
  camp for kids with autism aged 6-13.
• Camp Free Spirit, in
  Gibsonville, N.C., offers day camp throughout the summer for kids with and
  without disabilities, ages 5 years and up.
• SOAR (success oriented achievement realized) is a non-profit therapeutic
  adventure program for AD/HD and LD youth in Balsam, N.C.
• White Harvest Camp, in
  Jefferson, is an inter-denominational Christian
  camp/summer camp for children with special needs.
• Camp Timberwolf,
  in Hendersonville,
  serves children diagnosed with LD, ADD/ADHD, OCD, and similar behavioral
  challenges.
• Type
  Camp Name
  Sky Ranch
  in Blowing Rock, N.C. 828-264-8600 Write to: Jack and Betty Sharpe, address
  515 Hobbs Road, City
  Greensboro, NC PostalCode
  27403
• The Goldsboro Parks
  & Recreation Dept. offers a two week camp for children with
  special needs. This camp is no cost to the participants, and kids will
  learn social skills, bond with friendship old and new. 919-739-7489
  or email Lorice
  Smith, Special Population’s Program Leader.
• Camp
  Dogwood is owned and
  operated by the North Carolina Lions Foundation, Inc. NCLF serves as a
  wide resource for the blind and visually impaired residents of State
  North Carolina. For
  more information, please call 1-(800) 662-7401.

South
Carolina

• Camp Adam
  Fisher for kids with diabetes and their siblings.

Tennessee

• The Tennessee Disability Pathfinder
  is an Internet based community for persons seeking disability resources.
  Click on the Recreation and Summer Camps building.
• For the Middle Tennessee
  region you might try the Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital’s Summer Camp directory.
• Camp Discovery, located on the
  Flynn’s Creek area of Cordell Hull Lake in Jackson County, provides summer camping opportunities for people with special needs.
• River’s Way, in Bluff City, provides opportunities for youth of all abilities to work, learn and have fun together in educational and outdoor adventure settings.
• The ARC of
  the mid-south sponsors one-week residential camp in Memphis for
  campers with developmental disabilities, age 8 years and older.
• UCP of Memphis holds
  Camp Name
  Livitup, an eight-week day camp for persons ages 5-18 with any
  disability.
• The Speech and Name
  Hearing Center
  in Chattanooga
  holds a summer
  day camp for deaf children and their siblings from 3 to16 years of
  age.

Virginia

• Camp
  Holiday Trails, in Charlottesville,
  believes that all children with special health needs should be given an
  opportunity to enjoy a summer camp experience.
• Camp
  Easter Seals East & West, in
  Virginia.
• Bright
  Moments is a camp in Virginia
  that is designed to offer children living with sickle
  cell disorders the opportunity to enjoy physically challenging
  tasks in a supportive and cooperative atmosphere.
• Camp Baker, Chesterfield,
  VA., is run by the Richmond ARC
  and serves mild to severe MR/autism/ADD/ADHD/ED/LD. Ages 6+. (804)
  748-4789 or CampBaker at RichmondARC
  dot org.
• Burgundy Farm
  Summer Day Camp, Alexandria.
  Ages 3¾ to 15, mild disabilities on a case-by-case basis. (703) 329-9495.
• George
  Mason University
  Compu-Play/Compu-Write,
  Fairfax, State
  VA. Severe disabilities. (703)
  993-3670.
• Camp Sunshine YMCA,
  Stafford, State
  VA. Special needs. Ages 8-21. (540)
  371-9622.
• Good Beginnings,
  Falls Church, State
  VA. Sensory Integration group classes,
  ages 3-8. (703) 536-1817.
• Kellar
  Camp and Challenge Camp, Fairfax,
  VA. ADD and ADHD, ages 6-16.
  (703) 218-8523.
• New Directions
  Â?Quality vacationsÂ? for people with
  DD. (805) 967-2841.
• Parent
  Educational Advocacy
  Training Center
  maintains a list of summer
  camps in the Virginia
  area.

Camps in the Midwest USA

Illinois

• The Association for Individual
  Development, in Aurora,
  runs a one week residential camp for children with disabilities. Phone
  Laura McNeece at 630.844.5040, xt203.
• The Illinois Tourette
  Camp is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting camping
  opportunities for children with Tourette
  Syndrome (TS) and its associated disorders, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
  (OCD) and Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADD/ADHD).
• Camp Quality, in City
  Frankfort, is a
  summer camping experience and year-round support program for children with
  cancer.
• Camp Little Giant is a
  summer camp for individuals with disabilities run by the Touch of Nature
  Environmental Center of Southern Illinois University in
  Carbondale.
• Touch of Nature’s
  Therapeutic Recreation Program is designed to help individuals
  experiencing physical and developmental disabilities, visual and hearing
  impairments, muscular dystrophy, cerebral palsy, ADD/ADHD, and traumatic
  brain injuries. It is run by the Touch of Nature Environmental Center of
  Southern Illinois University in Carbondale.
• Easter Seals Camp in Hudson, Illinois serves kids with disabilities. 309/365-8021; Rr 2 Box, Hudson, IL PostalCode 61748.

Indiana

• Bradford Woods, City
  Martinsville, Indiana
  runs a number of summer camps including a residential camp for persons
  with disabilities.
• Camp Isanogel
  is a summer camp and year round program serving children and adults ages
  5-70+ years of age. Located in Muncie,
  Indiana.
• Red Cedar in
  Fort Wayne, IN,
  is a therapeutic horse back riding camp.
• Camp Awareness, in
  Noblesville, IN,
  is a unique camp experience for children on the autism spectrum.
• Camp Millhouse,
  in South Bend,
  holds eight 1-week camps from June -August. Serves campers with moderate
  to severe disabilities, ages 4+, coed. For more information send email to campmillhouse@MSN.com or at
  574-233-2202.
• CHAMP City
  Camp P.O. Box PostalCode 40407,
  Indianapolis, IN 46240, 317/875-9496, holds
  a one-week summer session for “medically fragile” kids (the camp
  is held at Recreation Unlimited in Ashley,
  OH).
• Anderson Woods
  provides 4 day summer camp experiences for developmentally disabled children and
  adults. For more information, call Judy Colby at (812)357-2325.

Iowa

• Camp Courageous, State
  Monticello Iowa
  (319/465-5916). Thousands of campers with disabilities attend CourageousU recreational and respite facilities
  annually.
• Camp Albrecht Acres,
  in Sherrill, State
  Iowa, is a Camp for the mentally and
  physically disabled and ages range from 2-Unlimited. They have run summer
  sessions since 1975 (serving 400-600 campers per summer), but plan to go
  year round starting in 2000.
• Easter
  Seals Camp Sunnyside serves any Iowan 4 years and older with any type
  of disability, either mental or physical.
• Amanda the Panda
  provides support to grieving children and their families through a variety
  of services. It is located in Des
  Moines, IA.
• Camp Hertko Hollow, in City
  Boone, IA,
  is a camp for children with diabetes.
• Camp Quality Heartland
  is a summer camping experience and year-round support program for children
  with cancer.
• Easter Seals Camp
  Sunnyside, address PO Box
  4002, Des Moines, State
  IA PostalCode 50333,
  Phone: 515/289-1933, extension 207. Programs: Adventure Camping
  (year-round), Residential Camping (summer), Day Camp (summer), Respite and
  Supported Community Living Services (year-round).
• Camp Wesley Woods
  515/961-4523, Indianola,
  Iowa counducts
  an Exceptional Persons Camp for adults with mental handicaps–I do not
  know whether they also have a camp for kids.

Michigan

• The Autistic Children’s Treatment
  Network, in Bingham Farms, is a day camp for children with autism
  spectrum disorders (ASD).
• Horizons Developmental Remediation
  Center, in Caledonia, has summer
  programs for children with autism and related impairments.
• Grand Haven Attention
  Camp is a day-treatment camp for families with school age children
  with adhd.
• Camp Quality has
  several camping experiences as well as a year-round support program for
  children with cancer.
• Life Horse for the Kids,
  in Ortonville, helps terminally and chronically ill children under the age
  of 21 find happiness and companionship through emotional and spiritual
  healing using the horse.
• Eric RicStar Winter Music Therapy Camp, in East Lansing, is a day camp for all persons with special needs and their siblings.
• Learning on the Log, in City
  Traverse City, runs a summer camp program, as well as after school and Saturday programs. They strive to increase children’s expressive and receptive relationship to the world around them. Everyone needs these elements to reach their maximum potential as equal participants in the world.
• Camp Fowler has year round
  programs for handicapped children, teens, and adults starting at a long
  weekend to two weeks long. Contact: The Fowler Center, 2315 Harmon Lake Road, Mayville, MI
  PostalCode 48744. Phone:
  (517) 673-2050.
• Able Abe’s Summer Camp – day camp for children with special needs ages 4 – 10 years in Birmingham, MI (suburb of Detroit). Small, therapeutic environment with physical, occupational, and speech therapists on staff. Can register for one to six weeks. For more information call 248-855-0030.
• The Abilities Center
  also sponsors summer intensive therapy services for people who come to the
  Birmingham
  area from out of town. A few days to 2 week stays can be arranged with an
  individualized therapy program established based on the needs of the child
  and family. Family education an integral part of the program. Specially
  trained in NDT, Sensory Integration, Interactive Metronome, Therapeutic
  Listening, Craniosacral Therapy, Fast Forward, and more. Call for information 248-855-0030.

Minnesota

• Camp Buckskin, in Ely, has been
  meeting the needs of youth with academic and/or social skill difficulties
  - particularly those with AD/HD and Learning Disabilities – for over forty
  years.
• Friendship Ventures runs two
  residential
  summer camps for anyone age 5 and older who has developmental and (or)
  physical disability, and also runs a year round weekend respite program. Camp
  Friendship is in Annandale,
  and Eden Name
  Wood Center
  is in Eden Prarie.
• Camp
  Courage, Minnesota. Includes camping
  sessions for children suffering from Asthma, Deafness, Cancer, Hemophilia and Sickle cell anemia.
• Camp Odayin,
  at Camp Name
  Knutson in Crosslake, provides a
  residential camping experience for young people with heart disease.
• Twin Cities Autism
  Society runs a summer camp for AS, autistic, and PDD kids. Voice:
  651/647-1083; address 970 Raymond
  Ave., # 101, St. Paul, State
  MN PostalCode 55114-1146.

Missouri

• Camp
  Determination is held at
  Tall Oaks
  Conference Center
  in Linwood, and is one of only a very few camps in the country-region
  United States
  designed specifically for children and youth with autism spectrum
  disorders. Go to Autism Asperger Resource Center and then click on the
  Camp Name
  Determination link.
• Wonderland Camp, A Special Camp for Special Friends On the
  Lake of the Ozarks.
• Camp Black Hawk,
  north of Rolla, is a special needs summer camp for children and adults
  with developmental disabilities.
• Camp Carpe Diem,
  north of Rolla, is also a special needs summer camp for children and adults
  with developmental disabilities.
• Camp Barnabus, near
  Springfield, was created so that
  children with special needs can do the things they might normally feel
  left out of. The camp has counselors, doctors and nurses, and cooks on
  staff at the camp. For more information, 417-476-2565.
• Camp Quality Kansas City is a
  summer camping experience and year-round support program for children with
  cancer.
• Camp Quality Northwest Missouri
  is a summer camping experience and year-round support program for children
  with cancer.
• Camp Quality Central
  Missouri is a summer camping experience and year-round support program
  for children with cancer.
• Camp Quality Ozark
  is a summer camping experience and year-round support program for children
  with cancer.
• Building the Road to
  Independence, in Webster
  Groves, is a sports day camp for kids with
  cerebral palsy. It is directed by the St. Louis Children’s Hospital’s
  Carol and Paul Hatfield Cerebral Palsy Sports and Name
  Rehabilitation Center.
  Download the application at www.stlchildrenshospital.org
  under the Parents & Kids section, or call 314-454-2604 for more
  information.

Nebraska

• Camp
  Without Barriers is a summer camp that
  provides week long getaways for children and adults with disabilities. It
  is run by Easter Seals Nebraska.
• Camp Kindle, children with AIDS, in
  Hordville,
  NE.
• Camp Quality Heartland is a
  summer camping experience and year-round support program for children with
  cancer.

Ohio

• Camp NuHop, in
  Ashland, OH,
  is a summer residential program for any youngster from 6 to 16 with a
  learning disability, behavior disorder, or attention deficit disorder.
• Camp Silver Lake,
  in New Carlisle, is a day camp that provides children with 30 hours of
  structured activities to meet their individual needs for movement,
  creativity and various sensory experiences.
• Sky Ranch is to
  serve the disabled population as a test bed of the most innovative
  adaptive equipment for all types of working, living and recreational
  activities. Located in northern Ohio.
• Camp Echoing
  Hills is a coed residential bible camp and special needs program in
  Warsaw, OH.
  Specific services available for the emotionally challenged,
  developmentally challenged, hearing impaired, learning disabled,
  physically challenged, and visually impaired, ages: 7-70. The Tri-Village
  Lions Club offers financial support
  to campers.
• Akron Rotary Camp
  for Special Needs Children is a camp run by the YMCA in
  Northeast Ohio.
• Stepping Stones,
  in Cincinnatti, offers a day camp program for
  children with challenges and a residential camp for people of all ages
  with challenges.
• Camp Quality
  Ohio is a summer camping experience and year-round support program for
  children with cancer.
• Recreation Unlimited
  in Ashley, Ohio holds a number of residential camps for youths and adults with developmental and/or physical disabilities. They also hold weekend respite retreats throughout the year. 740/548-7006, or write them at address 7700 Piper Rd, Ashley,
  OH, PostalCode 43003-9741.
• Camp Cheerful,
  Ohio,
  (440) 238-6200. A residential camp for children with Aspbergers
  Syndrome or Pervasive Developmental Disorder – Not Otherwise Specified.
  They also have a residental camp for children
  and adults that have physical disabilities.
• Adventure Camp,
  sponsored by the Kidney Foundation of Ohio and the Epilepsy Foundation of
  Northeast Ohio, will be held at Camp
  Cheerful in
  Strongsville from July 8 – 13, 2001.
  This experience will be as close to a “typical” camp as
  possible. Medical staff will be there to provide for the needs of the
  campers. The cost per camper is $315, but financial aid is available for
  those who require it. For further information, call Kathy Lawry (Kidney
  Foundation) at (216)771-1700 or Marsha Collins (Epilepsy Foundation) at
  (216)579-1330.

Oklahoma

• SUMMIT Physical Therapy & Rehab,
  in Claremore, runs a sensorimotor camp for kids
  with Aspberger’s/Autism. For information on the
  camp please (918) 341-4343.

Wisconsin

• Respite Camp,
  in in the Dells, is run by the Wisconsin Elks
  and Easter Seals.
• Wisconsin Badger Camp, in
  Platteville, has been serving the developmentally challenged children and
  adults for over 30 years.
• Easter Seals Camp
  Wawbeek, in the Dells, provides camping
  experiences for hundreds of children and adults with physical disabilities
  each year.
• Adventures for Life runs day and
  residential camps for people with developmental challenges who are 12 or
  older. The Milwaukee Center for
  Independence sponsors the camp.
• Easter Seals Southeastern
  Wisconsin offers a Summer
  Respite Program for individuals age 7-21 with disabilities.
• Wisconsin Lions Camp, in
  Rosholt, is a summer camp for children with Visual, Hearing or
  Mild/Borderline Cognitive Disabilities.
• Camp Heartland, Inc., children
  with AIDS, in Cudahy, State
  WI.
• Special Touch Ministries, in Waupuca, offers the Summer Get Away program. It
  features separate recreation and chapel services that are functionally
  appropriate for people with physical disabilities and for people with
  mental disabilities.
• RESPITE CARE provided for
  parents with children or adults with disabilities. Tender Loving Care in a
  Christian home on a dairy farm in Southwest Wisconsin.
  For more information e-mail: Jane.

Camps in the Southwest USA

New Mexico

• Camp Rising Sun, in the
  mountains east of Albuquerque, is a summer camp
  for children with autism spectrum disorder Ages 8 – 13.
• Apple Dumplin
  Camp is a new (1999) camp in New Mexico that
  serves handicapped children in a Christian environment.

Texas

• Children’s Association for Maximum
  Potential (C.A.M.P.) Camp, Texas Hill Country at City
  Center Point, Texas
  (210/292-3566). Residential camping, day-care, respite, rehabilitation for
  children with severe medical, physical or mental disabilities. Large
  medical staff enables nation-wide acceptance of children with severe
  problems..
• Camp For All,
  in Burton,
  is a unique camping and retreat facility that works in partnership with
  special needs groups to enrich the lives of people with chronic illnesses
  and disabilities.
• The Peaceable Kingdom Retreat for
  Children, in Temple,
  seeks to serve chronically ill and special needs children.
• Camp Summit, a year round
  camp for children with brachial plexus injuries and their families near
  Dallas, TX.
• United Cerebral Palsy of Greater Houston
  has day and overnight camps for kids with disabilities, in-home respite
  for parents, and other respite programs.
• Star Ranch Summer Camp
  Ingram, Texas.
• The Marbridge
  Foundation holds a unique summer camp designed for young men and
  women, 16 years or older, who have mild to moderate developmental disabilities or other
  cognitive challenges. Located in Manchaca,
  TX.
• The Monarch School,
  Houston, TX,
  is dedicated to providing an innovative, therapeutic education for
  children. It also offers a summer day camp for LD, ADD, AHDH, tourettes, and aspergers
  kids.
• Camp Quality is a summer camping
  experience and year-round support program for children with cancer.
• Dallas
  Therapy offers an intensive speech therapy camp for 2-7 years olds.
• Camp Hope,
  children with AIDS, Houston,
  TX, 713/623-6796, send email.
• Camp Wenoweez is a week-long residential camp held at
  Camp for All in Burton
  for children ages 7-12 with asthma. It is sponsored by the American Lung
  Association of Texas.

Camps in the Western USA

Alaska

• Suzanne Balvanz’
  list of agencies in Alaska.

Arizona

• Kris’ Camp
  , Arizona.
• Camp Tatiyee,
  in Lakeside, is a special needs camp
  supported by the Lions of Arizona.
• Lake
  Powell Summer Adventure Camp features alternative, high-adventure,
  camping experiences for children ages 13-23, with a variety of abilities.
• Arizona Camp Sunrise and Sidekicks,
  in Phoenix,
  offer special programs for children who have or have had cancer, and their
  brothers and sisters.

California

• Camp Rubber Soul, Mendocino, California.
• Kris’ Camp, Idyllwild, California.
• Surfer’s Healing runs surfing camps for autistic children in Malibu, San Diego, and San Onofre.
• Sickle Cell Disease Research Foundation in Los Angeles, CA operates an annual summer camp for children with sickle cell disease between the ages of 8-14.
• PRC, Inc. runs a free day camp for handicapped children in San Francisco. 415/665-4100.
• Camping Unlimited (Camp Krem), in Boulder Creek, California (90 min. south of San Francisco), provides summer and year-round recreational activities for children and adults with developmental disabilities.
• Camp Harmon is a resident, co-educational camp for disabled children and adults in Boulder Creek, California.
• Easter Seals of Central California sponsors several camps for children and adults with developmental disabilities.
• Camp Laurel, children with AIDS, Los Angeles, CA.
• Ability First in Hollywood, CA runs daycamps and residential camps.
• Camp LotsaFun, Lake Tahoe, is n innovative summer camping program for children and adults qith developmental disabilities from throughout the states of Nevada and California.
• Success Oriented Achievement Realized (SOAR) features success-oriented, high adventure camp programs for LD, ADHD and ADD preteens, teens and adults. They hold programs in several locations, including California.
• Pilgrim Pines is a nondenominational camp that has been running residential camps for challenged adults since the 1970s. They are expanding to include middle school children and teens in 2000. Located in Oak Glen/Yucaipa, CA.
• New Horizons is a year round, community based, socialization-recreation program designed to expand the horizons of developmentally disabled adolescents and adults in Orange County, CA.
• Camp Del Corazon in Santa Catalina Island, is a free camp specializing in children with heart disease or with a history of heart disease.
• Happy Adventure Summer Camp is a day program for severely developmentally disabled youth 5-18 from Santa Barbara, Carpinteria, & Ventura, California.
• Camp Costanoan, in Cupertino, serves disabled children and adults.
• The Quest Day Camp is a therapy day camp in Huntington Beach for kids ages 6 to 14. Campers may have diagnoses of Attention Deficit Disorder, learning disabilities, adjustment disorders, anxiety, depression, or self-esteem problems. Children with more complex problems are not appropriate for Quest.
• Christian Berets, in the Sierras, is a Christian camp that serves the disabled.
• Enchanted Hills Camp, in
  Napa Valley, has sessions for children, adults and seniors who are blind or visually impaired.
• Jay Nolan Camp, in Wrightwood, is an inclusive camp for children with and without developmental disabilities/autism.
• RESPITE: licenced family daycare provider, listed with the regional center, does out-of-home respite in Antioch, CA area. For more information email Bonnchie@AOL.com.

Colorado

• Adam’s Camp ,
  Denver, State
  Colorado.
• Camp Nuhop, Divide, Colordao,
  focuses on kids 6-16 with learning disabilities.
• Easter Seals Colorado is
  putting on their first national Roundtable called Outdoors
  for All. One of the Roundtables is called Camps for Adults and
  Children. The Roundtable will discuss how to meet the needs of campers
  with disabilities. It is an opportunity for camp staff to ask questions
  from experts.
• Rocky
  Mountain Village (Easter Seals) provides camping and respite for
  children and adults with disabilities in Empire, CO.
• The
  National Sports Center for the Disabled in
  Winter Park has several camps and other
  activities throughout the year.
• Success Oriented Achievement Realized
  (SOAR) features success-oriented, high adventure camp programs for LD,
  ADHD and ADD preteens, teens and adults. They hold programs in several
  locations, including Colorado.
• Children’s Hospital,
  Denver, State
  Colorado offers several camps for kids.
  Their # is: 303/861-8888.
• Boulder Valley
  Schools, Boulder,
  Colorado puts out a list
  every Spring through their Special Education
  Dept. of Summer Camps. Call Kathleen Anker at
  303/447-1010, ext. 5155.
• Adventure Peaks Expeditions for Kids,
  in Beuna Vista, is not geared toward kids with
  special needs, but they are happy to accommodate special needs campers.
  They are not scheduling camps for 2004, but check back for 2005 and
  beyond.

Hawaii

• Surfer’s Healing runs surfing
  camps for autistic children in Waikiki.

Idaho

• Mikylar’s
  World is a way of life and a rural residential choice for people with disabilities.
  The focus is to expand their world and experiences, helping them maximize
  their potential to lead more fulfilling lives.

New
Mexico

• “Horse and Duck Camp” is for bi-polar children to come with a parent, for therapy involving horses and other animals, principally ducks, at a small ranch in northern New Mexico (Abiquiu). The children sleep in tipis and tents and the camp has a staff of three. One
  session each summer. For more information, email Guil or at 505.685.4629.

Oregon

• Camp Quality, in Eugene, is a summer camping experience and year-round support program for children with cancer.
• Mother Oak’s child,
  a program of Willamette Valley Hospice,
  provides opportunities for children and families to learn about the
  grieving process and teaches children the tools for coping with loss, all
  in a comfortable and fun outdoor environment. For more information call:
  Kim Bickler at 503.763.2324.

Utah

• Easter
  Seal’s Utah runs a summer day camp for kids 5-21 of all abilities.
  They also conduct a school-year day camp in
  Salt Lake on alternating Saturdays
  and between Christmas and New Years Days.

Washington

• Name
  Washington State Directory of
  Summer Camps and Programs For Children with Special Health Care Needs,
  Center for Children with Special Needs.
• Easter Seals, WA, holds both
  a residential
  summer camp a respite program.

Wyoming

• Success Oriented Achievement Realized
  (SOAR) features success-oriented, high adventure camp programs for LD,
  ADHD and ADD preteens, teens and adults. They hold programs in several
  locations, including Wyoming.

Camps in Canada

Alberta

• Camp
  Bonaventure (aka Camp “B”) is part
  of the Between Friends Club
  which provides quality social and recreational opportunities in an
  accepting environment, focusing on children and young adults with
  disabilities.

British
Columbia

• Zajac Ranch
  runs a variety of camps for kids with challenges and life threatening
  illnesses.
• The British Coumbia Lions Society
  sponsors three free camps for children with disabilities ages 6 – 18, who
  live in British Columbia: Camp Shawnigan(Vancouver
  Island), Camp
  Squamish (outside of Vancouver) and Camp Winfield
  (in the Okanagan Valley). They have a number of
  different week long sessions available,
  registration begins in the beginning of April. Contact info@lionsbc.ca, or phone
  1-888-868-2822, for more information.

Ontario

• Check out the Ontario Camping Association’s page
  for Special Needs Camps
  for a listing of camps in Ontario
  (too many to list here).
• Ability Camp is a year round,
  residential therapy camp.
• Camp Winston supports individuals
  with neurological disorders. Located on Sparrow
  Lake in
  Ontario.
• Muskoka
  Respite provides respite for special needs kids in the Muskoka region.
• Shadow Lake Centre, in Stouffville, provides summer camping and year round
  weekend respite for children and adults with intellectual disabilities.
• Camp Kennebec,
  in Arden,
  is an integrated summer residence for children with ADD, ADHD, learning
  disabilities, behavioural needs, and mainstream
  campers.
• Camp Kodiak offers a unique,
  integrated, non-competitive program for LD, ADD/ADHD & mainstream kids
  and teens.
• Camp Kiatou
  offers wilderness therapy and emotional growth therapy for at-risk teens.
• The Tim Horton
  Children Foundation sponsors several camps for special needs children
  in several locations throughout
  Canada. them at 905 854
  1999, or write them at 10206 Guelphi,
  Campbellville,
  Ontario, Canada
  L0P1B0.

Prince
Edward Island

• Camp
  Gencheff
  is a camp for children, teens and adults with physical and developmental
  disabilities in Prince Edward Island, country-region
  Canada.
  For more information, email
  Jodi, or phone: (902)569-2669.

Camps in Central America

Belize

• Success Oriented Achievement Realized
  (SOAR) features success-oriented, high adventure camp programs for LD,
  ADHD and ADD preteens, teens and adults. They hold programs in several
  locations, including Belize.

Costa Rica

• Success Oriented Achievement Realized
  (SOAR) features success-oriented, high adventure camp programs for LD,
  ADHD and ADD preteens, teens and adults. They hold programs in several
  locations, including Costa
  Rica.

Camps in Greece

• Therapeutic Holidays, is a charitable organisation
  providing healing holidays to people with mental or physical
  disabilities/disorders in Crete.
  Therapeutic Riding, Animal Care, Trekking and Ergotherapy
  are just a few of the activities the holidaymakers are getting involved.

Potentially Useful Links

• Internet
  Resources for Special Children.
• Developmental Delay Registry.
• Autism Society of America
• On-Line Asperger’s
  Syndrome Information and Support.
• ASPEN of America.
• REACH is a program at Johns Hopkin University that conducts studies aimed at early diagnosis and treatment of autism.
• ADD Helpline, a non-profit organization for parents and educators dealing with ADD/ADHD maintains a list of camps.

The information above has been republished from http://wmoore.net/therapy.html in accordance with Creative Commons License .

Adaptive switches can be activated to set off the toy. On Brad’s web site, Science Shareware, he gives instructions on adapting a battery operated Bob the Builder Toy and pedal for electric train.

You do need a working knowledge of electronics- I have limited knowledge and found the instructions easy to follow. If you get stuck or need help he invites people to email him with questions.

Some of their most popular toys:
Hungry Hippos

Adapted game has 2 paddles attached to the Hippos for easy activation. Just simply bang away and watch as the Hippos race to gobble up as many marbles as possible. A great game to play with friends or family. Easy and tons of fun.

Talking Beauty Barbie

They recently added adaptive Play-Doh Fuzzy Pumper ( which uses a switch) to their extensive catalogue.

See & Say with Base

Classic See and Say toy that has been adapted, the toy has been mounted on a base and angled for easy access. With the adapted T-shaped handle, kids can easily activate the messages. Just point the arrow and pull the handle. Flip the page to choose more animals. It teaches your child about 16 different animals and features two unique flipping pages. The toy plays “Farmer in the Dell” and there is a new quiz mode, easy to mount on tabletops with a clamp.

Adaptive PlayStation controller for Sony PlayStation video game console

Dragon Fly Toys also has a fair amount of of toys for children with special needs and worth checking out.