INCLUSIVE FAMILY
Find a Camp Near You
The feelings of belonging and
fun instilled by Hole in the
Wall Gang aren’t exclusive
to its soon-to-be two loca-
tions and hospital outreach
services. Camps throughout
the Mid-Atlantic and beyond
provide similar experiences for
children with serious illnesses
or disabilities
“Because our children are sen-
sitive and vulnerable, having a
safe place that is specialized and
attentive to them is very import-
ant,” says Andrew Hubner,
executive director of Auburn
Schools, which hosts Camp Aris-
hearing kids over the summer.

“The important thing for
the hearing campers and the
hearing counselors — the
importance of including them
— is so that they can under-
stand where deaf people and
Deaf culture is coming from,”
says Amy Norman, a board
member and former camper at
Deaf Camps, through an inter-
preter, Louise Rollins, Deaf
Camps’ board president.

In addition to fostering a
truly inclusive environment,
the camp also fosters learning,
acceptance and connections
across communities.

“He [Paul Newman] was
very moved by children who
just are dealt a very bad hand.”
—JIMMY CANTON
totle at its locations in Fairfax,
Virginia and Silver Spring, Mary-
land. The camp serves children
with autism, ADHD and learning
challenges. Like Hole in the Wall Gang,
Camp Aristotle has staff trained
to accommodate each child’s
needs and a high staff-to-camper
ratio. Similarly, Summer Sen-
sations Camp in Columbia,
Maryland, for children with
learning differences and sensory
processing challenges, pairs chil-
dren with differing social and
language skills in small groups so
that “everyone is learning from
one another,” the camp ‘s co-di-
rector Jolene Williams says.

Other camps also work with
campers who do not have a dis-
ability alongside those who do.

Deaf Camps, Inc., in Knoxville,
Maryland, hosts both deaf and
“We build bridges between
the two cultures,” Norman says.

Building Bridges
Hole in the Wall Gang builds
bridges by having medical staff
dress in camp uniforms and hav-
ing its “OK Corral Infirmary”
designed to look like a 19th
century mill.

Individualized care, paired
with the camp’s non-intimidat-
ing setting, helps kids feel at
ease with what is a brand new
experience for many of them.

On the weekend, parents can
even exchange tips and connect
with other familes, making them
feel less alone.

It helps kids with chronic and
life-threatening conditions and
their families to not feel so dif-
ferent for once—and that is
everything. 1
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