Recreation

Since launching in 2012, A Walk On Water (AWOW) has served thousands of children with unique needs, and their families through transformative Surf Therapy. AWOW Surf Therapy is uniquely built on the concept of including the entire family in a connection to the healing powers of the ocean and our natural world. By creating positive, uplifting, and empowering experiences, we are rewriting the expectation of what “therapy” can be.

Surf Therapy is generally defined as the act of guided surf instruction provided by highly-trained Surf Instructors, in concert with a carefully constructed and supportive team of volunteers and staff. While Surf Therapy is the core offering of AWOW and the driving force of our efforts, our events offer additional elements that add to the ability to feel fulfilled and rejuvenated. Some of the offerings include: yoga, massage therapy, art therapy, music therapy, food and drink, and many different variations of sport and play on the beach.

We consider ourselves–our volunteers, partners, and participants–one big family; Our AWOW Family. By maintaining a high ratio of volunteers to athletes, AWOW has built a platform that allows each and every participant the chance to bond with fellow athletes and volunteers; forming meaningful, lasting relationships. These lifelong bonds are vital to developing the confidence necessary for each child to succeed not only in the highly difficult skill of surfing; but more importantly, in navigating the waters of life.

Diligently, we work to enable our amazing athletes to realize confidence in themselves. We’re equipping our participants to defy expectations, rewrite their futures, and emerge from the ocean with one belief; we are all ATHLETES.

Ability KC is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that serves areas in the states of Kansas, Missouri, Iowa, and Nebraska. Ability KC’s primary services include outpatient medical rehabilitation, therapeutic preschool, and employment services.

Our mission is to build brighter futures for children and adults with disabilities by providing educational, vocational, and therapeutic services. We do this by:

• Providing excellent results-driven services.
• Maintaining a highly trained and effective professional staff dedicated to serving individuals with disabilities.
• Offering programs that reflect a respectful, compassionate commitment to individuals served and their families and support providers.
• Presenting educational treatment of individuals served by creating clear, concise communications regarding impact and the outcomes of our programs.
• Maintaining financial viability.

Ability360 is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit corporation.  Through its comprehensive programs, Ability360 touches the lives of individuals with disabilities and addresses the disability concerns of their family members, co-workers and employers.

Mission Statement

Ability360 offers and promotes programs designed to empower people with disabilities to take personal responsibility so that they may achieve or continue independent lifestyles within the community.

Ability360 is one of five Centers for Independent Living in Arizona, and the largest Center in the state. Ability360 advocates personal responsibility – by, and for, people with disabilities – as a means to independence.  Programs are designed to help consumers achieve self-sufficiency. In addition to the five core service areas, Ability360 provides and promotes numerous other programs and services that help consumers achieve an independent lifestyle.

Ability360 Programs and Services:

• Individual & Systems Advocacy
• Information & Referral
• Employment Services
• ADA Services
• Counsel
• Empowering Youth in Transition
• Home Modifications
• Social and Recreational Opportunities
• Home Care Services
• Sports, Fitness, and Health & Wellness Programs

The North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources provides information on accessibility at museums and The North Carolina Zoo.

Adapting Worlds Foundation is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization with a mission to provide adaptable athletic, social, vocational and residential opportunities for children and adults with intellectual and multiple disabilities.

Adaptive Sports of South Central Kentucky is the region’s premier athletic program in competitive and recreational Adapted Sports. The program provides opportunities for those with eligible disabilities to find there own success in the world of sports, while also educating the greater South Central Kentucky area on the various ways those with disabilities pursue recreation, leisure and sport! Our program currently offers wheelchair basketball, wheelchair tennis, and goalball.

Arizona Youth Partnership builds solid foundations for youth and families by partnering with Arizona communities to prevent and solve local issues such as substance abuse, youth homelessness, lack of educational opportunities, teen pregnancy, and challenging family dynamics.

AZYP was founded in 1990 by a group of concerned Pima County citizens who sought to provide rural communities in the county access to the services available in the Tucson metro area. In 2006, AZYP expanded to serve rural communities across Arizona and seeks to employ a root cause approach to fighting poverty, build healthy, self-sufficient youth and families through
evidence-based prevention programs and community involvement.

Beads of Courage, Inc. is a non-profit organization that is dedicated to improving the quality of life for children and teens coping with serious illness, their families, and the clinicians who care for them through our Arts-in-Medicine Programs. We believe in creating a context for caring transactions to transpire through our community and encouragement programs.

Since 2005, Beads of Courage, Inc. has established collaborative partnerships in caring with hundreds of hospitals nationally and internationally, and worked with several community organizations to make healing happen through the use of beads as a historical art form.

Every Beads of Courage® program integrates the use of beads, the earliest art form known to humans, as visible, tangible symbols of human experiences that need and deserve to be expressed. Every time a bead is given courage is honored, suffering is alleviated, resilience is strengthened, and the experience of human caring is affirmed.

Bowling Green Special Olympics offers year round competitive sport opportunities for children and adults with intellectual disabilities. Athletes must be eight (8) years of age and have a Special Olympics medical condition to participate. All paperwork to be eligible and participate can be picked up at the Kummer Little Recreation Center, 333 College Street, Bowling Green, KY.

Camp del Corazon is a registered 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that provides year-round experiential opportunities for child faced with the challenges of growing up and living with heart disease. We provide a residential summer camp experience for children ages 7-17 as well as programs that offer opportunities for growth, education, and support for children, young adults, and the families who are living with heart disease. All proceeds are spent on the camp, and its programming, and staffed entirely by volunteers.

We offer our camping program free-of-charge, as the families affected by this disease already incur incredible financial burdens from medical bills and often have to seek private or home schooling due to numerous doctors’ appointments and hospital stays these children require.

Camp Holiday Trails (CHT) is a year-round nonprofit camp in a natural setting at the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Central VA. CHT incorporated as a nonprofit in 1973 and since that time has provided over 10,000 kids with medical needs the opportunity to experience a positive camp experience.  Our Campers, age 7-17, are welcomed from throughout the United States with the majority coming from the Mid-Atlantic region. Many campers have multiple diagnoses, including cancer, diabetes, sickle cell, hemophilia, juvenile arthritis, or are recipients of transplants.

Camp Simcha

Every summer, Camp Simcha Special welcomes 230 children and teens with a wide range of multiple diagnoses for two weeks of fun, friendship, and personal growth. Non-stop activities, bunk spirit, singing and dancing encourage independence and build self-confidence. It is a unique opportunity for children fighting chronic illness to build a community of people with whom to share hopes and dreams as they grow.

Our mission is to bring childhood back to children who lost it when they were diagnosed. To do that, we mix the best of camp activities – sports, arts and crafts, swimming and boating, camp shows, special events and activities – with the leadership of trained and compassionate counselors who specialize in keeping campers laughing from early morning to late at night.

Chai Lifeline

Founded in 1987, Chai Lifeline is dedicated to helping families of seriously ill children cope with the crises and challenges of pediatric illness. We understand that illness impacts everyone in the family, and our programs offer emotional and social support to each member, the sick child, parents and siblings. Two-dozen, year-round, free programs and services create a network of help that begins with the moment of diagnosis and continue for as long as needed.

Chai Lifeline is headquartered in New York City. Regional offices in Lakewood, NJ, Chicago, IL, Fort Lauderdale, FL, and Los Angeles, CA, ensure that families across the country have access to needed programs and services. International affiliates in Israel, Canada, Belgium, and Great Britain bring Chai Lifeline to the world.

Our network of emotional, social, recreational, and financial programs is designed to create a year-round web of support around sick kids, their families and the communities in which they live. We understand that a child’s illness affects the entire family, and our programs are family-focused and family-friendly. Programs are held in facilities that can accommodate wheelchairs, walkers and other medical equipment.

In-hospital services include professional case management and advocacy; healthy, nutritious meals for patients and caregivers; transportation assistance for parents; visits by volunteers; and overnight respite that allows parents to go home for the evening.

We offer a full complement of services for children including weblinks between classrooms and hospital rooms or homes; recreational opportunities; Big Brothers and Sisters; a lending library of books, tapes, and DVDs; after-school programs for children living with loss or illness in their homes; creative arts and art therapy; counseling; trips; food packages; sibling programs; and an innovative survivor program that facilitates post-cancer life.

Families find hope and support through retreats; family respite vacations; peer-support programs for mothers or fathers; insurance advocacy; family days and holiday parties; bereavement and crisis intervention services.

All programs are free of charge, including our largest, Camp Simcha and Camp Simcha Special. We even pay transportation from campers’ home cities.

The Needy Fund’s first mission was to provide holiday meals to the neediest families on Cape Cod. Now, the Needy Fund provides the residents of Cape Cod and the Islands with financial assistance for a range of basic human needs when they fall on tough times. The Needy Fund is here to help families and individuals through cancer, car accidents, family deaths, job loss, temporary and permanent disabilities, serious childhood illnesses, fire, spousal abandonment and many other urgent situations all year long. The Needy Fund is a community partner. Sometimes, the crisis is too big for one agency to handle. We network and partner with many local agencies to get people through the toughest of times. The Needy Fund is open year round, Monday through Friday.

Financial assistance programs include housing, utilities, food, medical, transportation, moving, camps, and holiday. Those helped by the Needy Fund do not receive cash. Payments are made directly to vendors through a voucher system. More than 4,000 individuals receive assistance from the Needy Fund each year.

Center for Child Counseling is building the foundation for playful, healthful, and hopeful living for children, families, and communities.

Our programs and expertise, spanning from prenatal to age 18, is grounded in research about early brain development and the impact of adversity and trauma on development, family systems, and generations. Violence and abuse in the earliest years of life are forms of “toxic stress” that can fundamentally change the developing brain, impacting wellness in adolescence and throughout the lifespan.

Disability Pride PA promotes more visibility and cultivates the pride felt within our community as we advocate for an inclusive world. Disability Pride PA imagines a world where every disabled person feels pride through self awareness, their identity, and their community at large. Disability Pride PA is dedicated to serving every disability. We continue to audit programs to ensure they represent all experiences and do not fall into a narrow understanding of what disability means. We are currently on a journey to address disability communities that are overlook, not represented, and/or misrepresented. We ensure that the people who we serve are informing our practices.

Objectives;

1. Produce Disability Pride events and support others efforts throughout the state, county, and around the world.
2. Teach disability access and inclusion through workshops, presentations, and events year round.
3. Offer products and services to business/organizations to be more inclusive.
4. Provide opportunities for disabled people to intern/work with Disability Pride PA and provide resources for accessible workplaces.
5. Provide secondary education scholarships for disabled students.
6. Support disabled artists through workshops, events, material scholarships, and as a networking resource.
7. Support our local disability/senior populations through community service.
8. Develop and implement programs and services about disability pride, arts, culture, and advocacy.

The California Department of Parks and Recreation, popularly known as State Parks, is honored to provide access to parks and open spaces and contribute to a healthier and richer quality of life for Californians and for people all over the world who visit the golden state’s natural wonders.

For persons with permanent disabilities, the Disabled Discount Pass entitles the bearer to a 50% discount for vehicle day use, family camping, and boat use fees at over 100 California State Park operated units. There is a $3.50 application fee to apply for the Disabled Discount Pass.

How to obtain the Disabled Discount Pass

1. Apply and submit your documents, including payment.
2. Get approved.
3. Receive your pass.
4. Enjoy discounted entry to the parks.

Easter Seals Cardinal Hill is driven by a tireless passion to champion people of all ages, ensuring that everyone, regardless of ability or life challenge, has the opportunity to live, learn, work, and play in our communities.

On national, state, and local levels, Easter Seals offers help, hope, and answers to adults, children, and their families living with special needs.

Easter Seals Cardinal Hill Services:

• Adaptive recreation
• Adult day health
• Creative beginnings child development center
• HorseAbility
• Pediatric therapy

For nearly 100 years, Easterseals has been the indispensable resource for people and families living with disabilities. Throughout all life’s moments – from the extraordinary to the ordinary and everything in between – Easterseals is here to help people and families realize and reach for their full potential.

Across the nation, we remove physical, cultural, attitudinal, and legal obstacles so people with disabilities have every opportunity to live meaningful and productive lives, on their own terms. We exist to provide the best services and opportunities for people with disabilities in communities nationwide.

Easterseals serves people and families who face a wide range of disabilities, including physical emotional, intellectual, social and educational.

Our mission at Fighting H.A.R.D. Foundation is to help children with rare diseases and chronic illnesses to know that they are not alone! Fighting HARD Foundation became an official 501c3 organization in August of 2015 after we searched for a support group to help kids with rare diseases and chronic illnesses. When we were not able to find one, we decided to create an organization of our own where we could bring children of the rare disease community together to help them know they were not alone in their battle!

We are accomplishing our mission of helping kids with rare diseases and chronic illnesses to feel less alone by sending care packages, providing emotional support through social media and get-togethers (held virtually during COVID-19), and financially assisting these kids and their families by providing the money needed for meals, gas, groceries, and medical equipment. We are always looking for new ways to spread our message and help as many kids as possible!

HELP Foundation empowers individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities through residential, day support, vocational, and summer education programs to choose services and opportunities as respected and valued members of the community.

HELP supports pathways that give every individual the chance to thrive and reach their full ability, contributing to a vibrant, inclusive community.

Services:

• Adult Day Support: Transportation Available
• Employment Services
• Residential Services
• Summer Program (ESY)
• Transportation
• Vocational Programs

Founded in 1985, Idaho Parents Unlimited, Inc. (IPUL) is a statewide organization which houses the Idaho Parent Training and Information Center, the Family to Family Health Information Center, Idaho Family Voices and IPUL Arts. Idaho Parents Unlimited, Inc. envisions inclusive and accessible communities, services, education, and opportunities for children and youth with disabilities and/or unique and special healthcare needs. Idaho Parents Unlimited works with parents, family members, and caregivers of children and youth with disabilities and special health care needs and the professionals who are a part of their lives. While our office is in Boise, we work statewide using technology, and we frequently travel to all regions of the state throughout the year. We assist families who have children of any diagnosis from birth to age 26.

What we do:

• Provide individual assistance to families through calls, emails, and in-person meetings
• Provide options that you may have to resolve any individual issues
• Present monthly training workshops and webinars on a variety of topics
• Provide special request workshops at community events and/or conferences as well as for parent or professional groups
• Advocate for systems, programs, policies, and rules that have an impact on Idaho families
• Provide effective advocacy training and information for families and youth to best advocate for themselves.
• Provide Parent Leadership Development training annually to build on a growing list of parent mentors who can amplify our work across the state.
• Provide scholarships to parents to attend conferences or events related to your child’s disability.
• Provide arts education through our in-school/community center residencies and Work of Art Programs
• Listen and provide support

What we do NOT do:

• Advocate on behalf of an individual child or family
• Attend IEP meetings
• Tell you what you should do
• Provide legal assistance
• Endorse or promote specialty care providers, legal services, or schools/districts
• Provide general parenting training (ie: court ordered classes)
• Provide 24-hour crisis services (we are not a crisis agency)
• Provide routinely scheduled art classes

The mission of Independence First to to empower individuals with disabilities through five core services: advocacy, independent living skills, information and referral, peer support, and transition. Independence First offers a wide range of services so people with disabilities can achieve their goals. The dedicated staff at Independence First help foster empowerment, inclusion, and independence.

Independence first offers personal care assistance, independent living services, and business services. Independent living services include adaptive e-gaming, aging in place, assistive technology, benefits counseling, equipment exchange, information & referral, peer support, recreational mobility, substances abuse, mental health, transition services, WisLoan/Telework, workshops/classes, and youth programming.

Independence First has offices in Milwaukee (main office), Ozaukee County, and Waukesha County.

Link to contact form: https://www.independencefirst.org/IndependenceFirst/Contact-Us.htm

Independence First is Metro Milwaukee’s first resource for people with disabilities.

They offer more than 40 programs and workshops and services of all kinds, and for various age groups. Independence First provides programs on disability awareness, independent living skills, and recreation. They work with individuals and families for whatever someone needs to successfully live in the community, helping with resources from assistive technology to home modification to personal care or supportive home care services.

Independence First also provides programming, whether it’s art classes or cooking classes, peer support, and even adaptive video gaming. More than 50% of their staff, managers, and Board have disabilities themselves and this peer-approach leads to excellent outcomes.

Services include benefits counseling and Personal Care Support. They advocate for change and inclusivity, and help people who want to stay or move into an independent living situation in their own home instead of institutions.

The Little Miss Hannah Foundation’s mission is to help enhance the quality of life for young children diagnosed with rare, life-limiting, or undiagnosed complex medical needs, as well as children who have been placed in hospice or palliative care. The foundation also gives parents the necessary tools and financial assistance to empower them to meet their child’s unique medical and lifestyle needs, as well as provide support resources and special attention for their other children. We also work to provide support groups for all members of the family by providing fun, family-focused and sibling-focused events and activities.

Programs

1. Medical-Therapy Equipment Assistance
2. College Scholarship
3. Childhood Rare Disease Advocacy
4. Family Support and Activities

Founded more than 130 years ago, Lunalilo Home’s vision is to be a nurturing and vibrant kauhale for all kūpuna. In fulfillment of the trust of King William Charles Lunalilo, the sixth reigning monarch of Hawai’i, our mission is to perpetuate the legacy of King William Charles Lunalilo to honor, tend to, and protect the well-being of elders. We strive to provide loving and compassionate services for kūpuna that preserve dignity and independence in a comfortable, secure and supportive environment. Services include residential care, respite care, adult day care, and meals-to-go.

Lunalilo Home admits persons of Hawaiian and non-Hawaiian ancestry, while maintaining its commitment to subsidize Native Hawaiians who are unable to pay for their residence at its adult Residential Care home, to the extent allowed by available funds or financing.

Lunalilo Home is a private organization that is not funded by any state or federal programs. We do not directly bill Medicare or Medicaid for any of the services we provide; however, our residents may utilize Medicare and Medicaid as well as other health insurance for their medical needs.

The Miracle League (www.miracleleague.com) is a national organization dedicated to bringing baseball fields to communities that are safe for kids and adults with disabilities to play in an organized league. There are currently 325 other United States Miracle Leagues that make it possible for 250,000+ children with physical, cognitive and/or emotional disabilities to play baseball. Our Miracle League field features a specially designed, rubberized surface designed to prevent injuries and accommodate wheelchairs, walkers, and other devices. It also allows sufficient cushioning to aid in injury prevention should a player fall. The field and dugouts are barrier-free and completely flat. The adjacent playground has brought children, families and the community to the Miracle League for a common goal…to play together.

Mission Creek Camp is a non-profit camp in northeast Kansas. The mission of Mission Creek Camp is to provide a camping & equine program designed for individuals with a wide range of physical, emotional and cognitive disabilities who could benefit from a camp experience. Our staff incorporates extensive training to provide the program with a safe environment and atmosphere. The well-trained staff and a variety of activities allow each camper to feel a sense of self-worth and hope.

Our goal at Mission Creek Camp & Retreat Center is to provide a wonderful experience to each individual who comes here. Our programs and services allow everyone to participate, regardless of their limitations. We strive to reach each person on their level and give them the opportunity to form lasting friendships, make great memories, and open their eyes to new possibilities. The safe and peaceful environment at Mission Creek Camp & Retreat Center offers a foundation for individuals to find healing in the circle of unconditional love and acceptance we offer.

The National Ability Center (NAC) empowers individuals of all abilities by building self-esteem, confidence and lifetime skills through sport, recreation and educational programs. We are the seekers and explorers, the fun-makers and adventurers. We believe life doesn’t stop unfolding just because we have a disability. We’re adaptive. Our NAC family draws from decades of experience working with people of all abilities, harnessing the power of specialized equipment, techniques, teaching methods and over 1,900 volunteers.

The Wildlife Resources Commission has established increased access and opportunities for persons with disabilities to enjoy the State’s wildlife resources and wildlife associated recreation. In keeping with the intent and spirit of the Americans with Disability Act, we will continue to make strides toward providing access and opportunities for individuals with disabilities.

Our mission is to provide dynamic programs and services to individuals who have intellectual disabilities and their families, so they may achieve their goals and become fully participating members of our community.

Our Programs: 

• Life Skills
• Employment
• Culinary Training
• Recreation Performing and Fine Arts
• Recreation Health and Fitness
• Recreation Socialization and Respite Activities
• Family Support

Therapeutic Recreation programs provide opportunities for individuals with disabilities to enjoy activities through recreation, leisure, and play and to showcase their talents and abilities. Our programs are designed to enhance the overall health, wellness, and social needs of individuals with disabilities.

Benefits of therapeutic recreation programs: 

• Develop trust and social skills
• Self-respect
• Meet new people and decrease loneliness
• Gain recreation and life skills for increased independence
• Explore the community
• Improve physical and emotional health
• Improve quality of life

It’s a great feeling to be included. Under the Americans with Disabilities Act, we hope to see more and more accessible playgrounds meant for everyone – young and old – to have fun, interact and experience the freedom of learning and play. Playgrounds will cater to people of all ages with sensory, physical and psychological needs, as well as the needs of their friends, parents and caregivers. They will break down barriers so all children can play together. Here are some great playgrounds with universal access, some with ground-level play features, ramped play equipment, as well as other accessible equipment. Although not all are classified as Playgrounds for All, the ongoing programs to comply with access requirements and safety standards will soon lead to more special needs-friendly playgrounds in the foreseeable future.

Join forces with RARE Science, Inc. a non-profit organization that helps find cures for kids with rare disease. The RARE Bear Project is a community driven initiative and is supported by the ever-growing RARE Bear Army of volunteers that help make one of a kind bears for special one of a kind kids. Gifted RARE bears will have a serial number specifically made for a child in our program. Some RARE bears will also be made for gifts for those who donate a certain amount to our programs to support rare disease research!

To participate  in our RARE Bear Program, please contact your patient support organization, foundation, or group to get all the information you need to enroll in the RARE Bear Program. If your organization is not yet a RARE Science partner but would like to be, please ask them to contact us at info@rarescience.org and we can help them get started!

Supports for Community Living (SCL) is a home and community based wavier under the Kentucky Medicaid program and was developed for Kentucky residents as an alternative to institutional care for an individual with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities. REACH of Louisville provides host homes, day training, and related support services. Services include residential support (adult foster care/family home provider), REACH Adult Training Program (RAP) and Respite Services. SCL is a home and community based waiver under the Kentucky Medicaid program. SCL allows the person to remain an active member of the community.

Who is Eligible? 

Individuals with a diagnosis of intellectual and developmental disabilities who meet the requirements for residential services in an Intermediate Care Facility for persons with mental retardation (ICF/MR), and who receive Medicaid and meet other Medicaid requirements, are eligible for SCL services. Currently, there is a waiting list to receive an SCL waiver.

Rosie’s Love is a 501c3 not-for-profit organization committed to helping the children and families at The Melodies Center for Childhood Cancer and Blood Disorders at the Bernard & Millie Duker Children’s Hospital at Albany Medical Center.

Holiday Shop

Each year we hold a holiday shop at the hospital as a chance for the children to come in and pick out gifts for their families and friends.

Camp Hakuna Matata

Our Camp Hakuna Matata is a place where there are “no worries”. It gives the children and their families an opportunity to spend some quality time away from the hospital.

Gold Tournament 

Each year we hold a golf tournament at Van Patten Golf Course in Clifton Park, NY to help raise funds for our projects.

Simply Sayin’ is an award-winning educational app created by the Child Life team at Phoenix Children’s. It uses pictures, sounds and a glossary of terms to facilitate clear conversations about conditions, treatments and medical or healthcare-related experiences.

The app helps you find the right words or phrases to explain and talk about an illness or injury, medical procedures or other areas of interest or concern.

The app’s user-friendly layout includes:

• Ready access to an extensive glossary of medical terms with simple explanations that are easy for kids to understand
• A script feature to prepare children for surgery, with details about specific procedures and photos of main-campus areas and medical equipment that may be used as part of their care
• Interactive drawing boards for various body systems to help kids become familiar with areas and approaches to treatment
• English and Spanish translations

The app is available free of charge in the iTunes or Google Play stores.

Sins Invalid is a disability justice based performance project that incubates and celebrates artists with disabilities, centralizing artists of color and LGBTQ/gender-variant artists as communities who have been historically marginalized. Led by disabled people of color, Sins Invalid’s performance work explores the themes of sexuality, embodiment and the disabled body, developing provocative work where paradigms of “normal” and “sexy” are challenged, offering instead a vision of beauty and sexuality inclusive of all bodies and communities.

We define disability broadly to include people with physical impairments, people who belong to a sensory minority, people with emotional disabilities, people with cognitive challenges, and those with chronic/severe illness. We understand the experience of disability to occur within any and all walks of life, with deeply felt connections to all communities impacted by the medicalization of their bodies, including trans, gender variant and intersex people, and others whose bodies do not conform to our culture(s)’ notions of “normal” or “functional”.

Special Friends, Inc. was organized to promote the general welfare of all people with emotional, physical, and developmental disabilities in Chippewa County. We are a volunteer (no paid staff) agency. We welcome members who are parents, professionals, neighbors, and friends of people who need our help to improve the quality of their lives in our community. We welcome the interest, ideas and support of all those who share this goal and know that by working together we will succeed.

There are socialization programs, a newsletter, sunshine program, toy lending program, workshops, recreational opportunities including Special Olympics and parent to parent support.

Special Kids is a Christian therapy and nursing center for children with special needs. We serve children from birth to 21-years old with a wide variety of diagnoses, from developmental delays to medically fragile. As a nonprofit organization, we are committed to serving every child in need, regardless of a family’s ability to pay. The support from the community allows us to continue in our vision to meet the needs of everyone, one child, one family, one community at a time.

Services include:

• Nursing services (medical care)
• Camp ability (fun)
• Physical therapy (gross motor)
• Speech therapy (communication)
• Occupational therapy (fine motor)
• Feed therapy (eating)

Visit this link for additional information on receiving services from Special Kids: https://www.specialkidstn.com/getting-started

Special Olympics is a global movement of people creating a new world of inclusion and community, where every single person is accepted and welcomed, regardless of ability or disability. We are hoping to make the world a better, healthier, and more joyful place- one athlete, one volunteer, and one family member at a time.

The mission of Special Olympics is to provide year-round sports training and athletic competition in a variety of Olympic-type sports for children and adults with intellectual disabilities, giving them continuing opportunities to develop physical fitness, demonstrate courage, experience joy and participate in a sharing of gifts, skills, and friendship with their families, other Special Olympics athletes, and the community.

Special Olympics Kansas is dedicated to empowering individuals with intellectual disabilities to become physically fit, productive and respected members of society through sports competitions, health and nutrition programs, and leadership development. Offering year-round initiatives to children and adults with intellectual disabilities, Special Olympics Kansas is a platform for acceptance and inclusion as well as one of the largest advocates for healthy lifestyles in the state – regardless of race, religion, ethnicity or cultural differences.

Special Olympics is a global organization that serves athletes with intellectual disabilities working with hundreds of thousands of volunteers and coaches each year. Special Olympics provides year-round sports training and athletic competition in a variety of Olympic-type sports for children and adults with intellectual disabilities. Those activities give them continuing opportunities to develop physical fitness, demonstrate courage, experience joy and participate in a sharing of gifts, skills and friendship.

Special Olympics is a global movement that unleashes the human spirit through the transformative power and joy of sports. It empowers individuals with intellectual disabilities to become accepted and valued members of their communities, leading to a more respectful and inclusive society for all. Using sports as the catalyst as well as programming around health and education, Special Olympics works to end inactivity, injustice and intolerance.

Stepping Stones is a nonprofit, United Way partner agency that has been making an impact on the Greater Cincinnati community since 1963. We offer a variety of educational and recreation program opportunities for individuals with disabilities.

At Stepping Stones, children, teens and adults with various abilities find pathways to independence that improve their lives and enable them to be more fully participating members of the community.

Programs by Name

• Adult Day Services
• Saturday Kids Club
• Saturday Young Adults Club
• Step-Up Autism Education
• Summer Day Camp
• Summer Overnight Staycations
• Weekend Respites

The Supportabilities Foundation’s mission is to improve the lives and empower people with disabilities to maximize their abilities through adaptive fitness and training. Programs are offered in Broward, Palm Beach, Osceola, Miami-Dade, and Orange Counties of Florida. 

Supportabilities personal fitness and training program is an outreach program designed around the individual’s needs to help them reach their goals, including:

• Improving strength and muscle tone
• Increasing balance and coordination
• Increasing mobility
• Increasing flexibility
• Improving cardio functioning
• Improving self-confidence
• Weight management and reduction
• Improving core strength

Contact for more information: https://joshua-zilinskas-fo59.squarespace.com/contact

Our goal is to provide a higher quality of life for people of all abilities by transforming greater Milwaukee into the most universally inclusive recreation destination in the world.

Mission 

To provide people impacted by disabilities with a daily opportunity to be fit, active, healthy, and to play.

Vision 

To build communities where all abilities are provided a universal opportunity for health, wellness, and recreation.

Goal

To provide a higher quality of life for people of all abilities by transforming greater Milwaukee into the most universally inclusive recreation destination in the world.

The Center for Courageous Kids (CCK) is a not for profit medical camp facility founded by the late Ms. Elizabeth Turner Campbell and opened in 2008. She was inspired to create a place where children living with life threatening illnesses and their families could come free of charge and have fun, find respite, feel normal and forget about their everyday struggles.

During CCK’s summer camp sessions, children have the opportunity to meet a community of peers living with the same medical condition. The relationships made with other children who understand their daily struggles and challenges provide a sense of comfort and hope in knowing they are not alone.

CCK provides 24/7 medical coverage for the diagnosed child while they attend camp. Our medical staff operate from an on-site care center including a pharmacy and helipad. Additionally, CCK is located less than a mile away from the nearest Emergency Room.

CCK offers a great mix of indoor and outdoor activity options for every child to choose something they will enjoy doing. There are many opportunities to freely choose activities within the planned program schedule so that every child can try something new!

The Hole in the Wall Gang Camp is dedicated to providing “a different kind of healing” to seriously ill children and their families, free of charge. We are a community that celebrates the spirit of childhood, the sound of laughter and the feeling of endless possibility. Our goal is to create ongoing Camp connections where children- and families in all the forms they come in- are not alone in their challenges and are more than a diagnosis. All programming is intentionally designed to meet every individual’s unique needs and offered at no cost to families thanks to generosity of others.

At its Connecticut location, Hole in the Wall offers its signature summer program for children with serious illnesses and siblings along with Family Weekends in the spring and fall.

With plans to open in the summer of 2023, the Maryland location will provide family-inclusive programming for those most impacted by serious illness.

The year-round Hospital Outreach Program (HOP) brings the hopeful, playful spirit of Hole in the Wall to children and families in the clinical setting. Taking the activities and experiences of Camp and transporting them to kids’ bedsides and playrooms, the program helps restore joy and laughter in a time of fear, stress, and uncertainty.

Through the year, Hole in the Wall offers regional events in camper hometowns, and home visits and retreats for parents and caregivers throughout the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic.

Lee Zimmerman, CEO and Founder of The Kidz Club, recognized the need for children with medical complexities to have access to daily nursing care, therapies, and friends – all in an enriching environment. His goal to positively impact the whole family unit through the care of these special children led to the establishment of The Kidz Club, the first Prescribed Pediatric Extended Care facility in Kentucky.

The Kidz Club was founded out of compassion and a commitment to improve, empower, and enrich the lives of children with medical complexities as well as their families.

Children with disabilities have the right to be given opportunities that allow them to live to their fullest potential. Too often, parents raising these children feel isolated socially and burdened financially, emotionally and physically. They are forced to make hard decisions and sacrifice substantially in areas that most could not imagine. The Lollipop Kids Foundation exists to combat social stigmas, ease the financial burden placed on these families, offer emotional support and provide a brief respite so that every child with a disability has access to a hope and a future.

Programs and services include:

• Durable Medical Equipment (DME) closet
• Kyle Morgan Summer Accessible Sailing
• Sensory Friendly Haircuts
• LolliFIT
• Support & Play Groups

For 15 years, the Miracle League of Mercer County has served the greater central New Jersey region – Mercer, Burlington, Ocean, Monmouth, Hunterdon, & Middlesex Counties – and Bucks County, PA in providing fully inclusive baseball programs to individuals with special needs. We now provide unique, fun experiences for our athletes 12 months per year.

The Miracle League removes the barriers that keep children with mental and physical disabilities off the baseball field and lets them experience the joy of America’s favorite pastime. Since the main barriers for these adults arise from the natural grass fields used in conventional leagues, Miracle League teams play on a custom-designed, rubberized turf field that accommodates wheelchairs and other assertive devices while helping to prevent injuries.

But it’s more than playing a game. The Miracle League is about making new friends, building self-esteem and being treated just like other athletes.  To help the athletes, the Miracle League uses a “buddy” system – pairing each player with an able-bodied peer.  The result is a bond that cannot be described. The Miracle League serves children and adults who suffer from any physical or mental disabilities, which causes them to be excluded, whether intentionally or not, from conventional Baseball leagues.

The first Miracle League field opened in Conyers, Georgia in April 2000.  Word spread and by 2002, fields opened in South Carolina, Alabama, West Virginia, Illinois, and California. There are presently 240 plus Miracle League Organizations across the country including Puerto Rico and Canada, while serving 200,000 plus children and adults.

The Painted Turtle is more than a camp. it’s a place where children with serious medical conditions can just be kids. Totally free of charge. The mission of The Painted Turtle is to provide a year-round, life-changing environment and authentic camp experience for children with chronic and life-threatening illnesses. The Painted Turtle supports children’s medical needs, inspires them to reach beyond their illnesses, and provides care, education, and respite for their families.

Requirements and Eligibility 

• Age requirements:
  • Family Weekend: Between the ages of 6-17
  • Summer Camp: Between the ages of 7-16
  • Have a minimum developmental age of 5 years
• Be able to function and participate in a group setting
• Able to communicate needs independently
• Can be without family members for a limited period of time (overnight retreat and family weekends) or the duration of the camp session (summer camp).

Please be advised that no child is guaranteed to be accepted to camp. Applications are reviewed and acceptance is based upon health care needs, space, and staffing ratios.

The Salvation Army, an international movement, is an evangelical part of the universal Christian Church. Its message is based on the Bible. Its ministry is motivated by the love of God. Our mission is to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ and to meet human needs in His name without discrimination.

Programs offered by The Salvation Army of Louisville cover the following areas:

• Shelter and family household stability
• Hunger and food insecurity
• Veteran services
• Culinary arts training
• Summer camp
• Youth programs
• Emergency disaster services
• Community worship centers

Cooperative Extension is one of the pillars of The University of Arizona’s Division of Agriculture, Life & Veterinary Sciences & Cooperative Extension. We are about “Improving Lives, Communities and the Economy” by serving as a statewide network of knowledgeable faculty and staff that provides lifelong educational programs for all Arizonans. We are part of a nationwide educational network of scientists and educators who help people solve problems and put knowledge to use. Arizona Cooperative Extension provides a link between the university and the citizens of this state.

Extension means “reaching out,” putting us in all 15 counties and on 5 tribal reservations, connecting them to University of Arizona research and resources. This connection to research-backed knowledge helps people solve problems, adapt to change, develop new skills and carry innovations forward into practice. Our mission is to engage with people through applied research and education to improve lives, families, communities, the environment, and economies in Arizona and beyond.

Addressing Community Needs

We work closely with those we serve to create programs that address community-identified needs. These programs include:

• 4-H Youth Development: As the state’s largest youth serving organization, Arizona 4-H is inspiring the next generation of leaders, entrepreneurs and problem solvers.
• Agriculture and Natural Resources: We have been assisting farmers, ranchers, agency personnel and others involved in natural resource management for over 100 years to increase profits and steward our natural resources responsibly.
• Family, Consumer, & Health Sciences: Our community-specific programs and educational classes help build strong families, strong minds, and strong bodies.
• Tribal Extension: With more than 30% land base in Arizona being Tribal, our initiatives engage Native American communities through education and outreach on development, sustainability, and resiliency.

Trillium’s Play Together Accessible Playground grants have provided towns with the ability to build fully accessible, all-inclusive playgrounds for individuals with special needs and physical disabilities. Locations throughout eastern North Carolina now have 31, all-inclusive playgrounds, thanks to this grant from Trillium Health Resources.

Equipment varies in each playground and may include a Liberty Swing (accessible while in a wheelchair), Cruise Line, and zip line. Playgrounds have a rubberized surface to ensure safety for children and adults with mobility challenges, as well as wheelchair accessibility — all accommodations providing an opportunity for individuals of all ages and abilities to play together outside.

Trillium Health Resources is a local governmental agency (LME/MCO) that manages serious mental health, substance use, and intellectual/developmental disability services in eastern North Carolina.

Link to view playground locations: https://www.trilliumhealthresources.org/sites/default/files/docs/trilliummap.pdf

Our mission is to improve lives by uniting the caring power of community. United Way of Central Iowa focuses on three counties in Iowa: Polk, Dallas, and Warren. Our funding, strategies, collaborations, and partnerships are almost exclusively based within that territory. We are an independent 501(c)3 organization based in Des Moines, Iowa, and regulated by our local Board of Directors. As a member of the United Way network, our organization is one of more than 1,000 local United Ways across the United States.

Since 1917, United Way of Central Iowa has united individuals, businesses, nonprofits, elected officials, and more to foster a thriving community through strategic focus on the 5 Elements of a Thriving Community:

• Essential Needs
• Early Childhood Success
• Education Success
• Economic Opportunity
• Health & Well-Being

Summer camps and programs for individual with special needs. Dedicated exclusively to camps that serve individuals with one or more of a wide range of special needs.

Special Needs Summer Camps in Pennsylvania

Respite Camp is a safe and nurturing place where campers are provided with the care and support they need while their parents and caregivers can take a break from the day-to-day caregiving role they find themselves in.

Operating year-round, the Wisconsin Elks/Easterseals Respite Camp is unique. Not only are we one of the only programs in Wisconsin that provides overnight, individualized respite care, but we also accept campers with severe and multiple disabilities who have been turned down by many other programs. Our focus is on our campers. We want to provide them with a similar camp experience their peers are able to have, while providing a respite to their families and caregivers.

Register here: https://camp.eastersealswisconsin.com/camp-registrations/