From camping to therapeutic horseback riding, summer camps are a wonderful way for students to build the skills necessary for a successful transition to adulthood—skills like exploring new interests, experiencing independence, and taking part in activities they might never encounter during the school year.

Although it can be challenging to find the right camp for a student with disabilities, our colleagues at the Indiana Resource Center for Autism publish an annual Summer Camps and Programs Guide to get us started. In this well-organized reference guide, parents, teachers, and counselors can find a myriad of summer opportunities throughout Indiana for students with all abilities.

Some programs provide an “inclusion coordinator” or other staff who can support students with disabilities. Some are day camps; some are for overnight and longer. Some are for the individual, while some welcome the whole family.

Summer camps are not only fun; they are also a great way to stretch the muscles crucial to transitioning into a fulfilling adulthood. The hard part is that there are many to choose from: from faith-based communities to sports, recreation, and university-related offerings. Here’s a sample:

• Accessible to all, Bradford Woods near Martinsville, Indiana, offers recreation therapy, and has tailored Camp Riley in a partnership with Riley Children’s Foundation to meet the needs of those with physical and cognitive diagnoses.
• Founded in 1937, Camp Millhouse outside of South Bend, Indiana, hosts campers in consecutive weeks in June and July and on weekends in September.
• Nestled in rural southern Indiana, Anderson Woods is an overnight camp that has been in operation since 1978. There you will find four-day camp sessions in June and July for both adults and youth with disabilities.
• In the northwest of Indiana near Valparaiso is Camp Lakeside. Camp Lakeside offers programing year-round and week-long and weekend summer camp options.

Deadlines for enrollment vary, so explore now and send the links to your families! For camps further afield, be sure to browse the listings of the American Camp Association.

Bonus Tip

If you haven't heard, Indiana Disability Resource FINDER is a free online resource to collect and organize information from providers across the state, offering easy access to the community resources that improve the quality of life for individuals with disabilities. And when you're ready to transition into employment, FINDER also plugs you into a wide variety of organizations with employment options across the state.

Start your guided tour of FINDER today.