Special Needs National Multi-Rec Camping Programs

After reviewing the many comments from our visitors, it became clear to YWO, that there was an unmet demand for information on outdoor opportunities for people with special needs. While there are many individual programs for people with developmental disabilities, physical or mental limitations, or people with serious injuries; mainstream outdoor sites often times ignore this growing part of our society. We further found that there wasn’t a single web site that covered the entire range of outdoor special needs. We attempt to correct those short comings here. Next, we attempt to address the needs of those of us over 50 by providing you with a few links at the bottom of the next page for “senior activities.”

Please consider these two pages as a beginning point for your special outdoor journey. We welcome the chance to provide you with more services to meet your individual needs in the days to come. There is much more work for all of us to do in this area.

Here is How it is Organized

This Page:

* National Full Year Recreation Programs

* Camps, General

*Camps, Summer

* Camps, Children

* Camps, Atheltic Training

Next Page:

* Sports, Team & Individual Sports

* Other Wheelchair Sports

* Hunting & Fishing

* Veteran's

* Organized Outdoor Activ. & Indiv. Instruction

* Other Outdoor Related

* Travel & Seniors Activities

Press Onward, My Friend!

(Please click on the underlined names, to go to their appropriate webpage.

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National, Full-Year Recreational Programs
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1.Boy Scouts of America, Special Needs Division, The BSA recognizes and welcomes youth with disabilities into their ranks as full fledged members and encourages them to participate all levels in their local troop. The BSA is a full year activity program. Click here to go to the BSA’s homepage.
Nat_Spine_Cord_Assoc_logo 2.National Spinal Cord Injury Association, Through working with their local chapters, the NSCIA provides assistance to those with a wide variety of spinal injuries to excel in all areas of their life including recreation and leisure.
Nat_Multi_Sclerosis_Assoc 3.National Multiple Sclerosis Society, has many outdoor activities arranged through their local chapters.
nat_spts_center_disabled 4.National Sports Center for the Disabled, operates several full year programs in outdoor recreation for people with many different disabilities. One of the largest outdoor recreation programs in the nation. Of their 20+ programs, they are noteworthy for their disabled baseball, basketball, and snowmobiling programs. Promotes competitive sports.
disabled_sports_usa 5.Disabled Sports USA, a major leading provider of full year programs for people with disabilities,
blind_hiker 6.American Council for the Blind, one of the oldest and largest orgs for visually impaired, has many links to outdoor activities, including adaptive baseball, bicycling, golf, and underwater scuba.
amputee 7.The United Cerebral Palsy Association, has numerous listings of outdoor opportunities in their Sports & Lesiure Section.
blind_climber 8.The Courage Center, Golden Valley, Mn  is a full service rehabilitation center for people with disabilities .In addition to many outdoor and indoor sports, they sponsor The Courage Camps, Mn. See # 5 Below for their Minnesota Camps.
  Camps, General-
united_spinal_assoc 1.United Spinal Association Disability Services provides links for outdoor sports and recreation. Plus their Tech Guide provides access to numerous outdoor resources,Click here for a Good Camp Directory.
ISER Special Resources 2.ISER- Internet Special Education Resources, a big summer camp directory for needy youth.
very_special_camps 3. On-Line Listing of Very Special Camps for Children at; http://www.veryspecialcamps.com/camps/
  Camps, Summer-
disabled_travel 1.The Epilepsy Foundation, a national organization designed to help people with epilepsy to succeed. The Foundation, through its affiliated chapters, runs several summer camps.
spina_bidfa_assoc 2.National Spina Bifida Association, provides a one week special summer camp for children with this crippling medical condition.
  Camps, Children-
Easter_Seals_Society_of_Amer 1.The Easter Seals Society of America has many camps for children with disabilities.
MDA Services 2.Muscular Dystrophy Association runs camps for children with muscular dystrophy and other disabilities.
Wisc_Badger_Camp 3.Wisconsin Badger Camp, Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin, for kids with developmental disabilities in Wisconsin.
survivors 4.One-Step-at-a-Time, a camp operated by a Chicago hospital group for children with cancer.
courage_camps 5.Camp Courage,at the Courage Center;The two Minnesota camps are loosely affiliated with other Courage Camps and Camps Courageous across the country.
(See #8 above for more info on parent org, The Courage Center.)
  Camps, Athletic Training- 
America_Supports_You 1.The U.S. Special Olympics, part of an  international sports organization for young people with intellectual disabilities, the Special Olympics Team USA, trains at various college campuses throughout the nation. This year (2007), the Team is training at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, TN.