ABOUT
CAMP ABILITIES
Camp
Abilities PA is a developmental sports camp for children ages 7-17 who are
blind or have low vision. The camp is located in West Chester, PA on the
West Chester University campus. Held annually over Memorial Day weekend, this
overnight camp experience introduces children to a variety of sports, including
goalball, swimming, beep baseball, track and field, tandem biking, team
building, and adventure-based activities. The purpose of the camp is to empower
children to be physically active, improve athletes’ overall health and
wellness, encourage athletes to make food choices that support an active
lifestyle, and develop athletes’ confidence and self-esteem through sport and
physical activity. Children receive one-on-one instruction during all
physical activities and events.
Camp's
Purpose
Camp
Abilities PA strives to empower children who are blind or have low vision,
through sports and nutrition education, to be dynamic members of their schools,
communities, and society in general. Studies consistently show that children
who are blind or have low vision have lower levels of health-related physical
fitness than their peers, Camp Abilities plays a vital role in reinforcing each
child’s self-esteem and confidence in his or her ability to master specific
sports, physical education, and social activities.
Educational
Endeavors
Camp
Abilities PA is also an opportunity for West Chester University Health and
Physical Education students to learn how to teach sports and recreational
activities to children who are blind or have low vision.
The
camp coaches are pooled from the West Chester University Adapted Physical
Education Undergraduate program. Coaches instruct camp activities using adapted
sport teaching strategies and apply concepts they have learned in collegiate
classes to motivate and encourage the athletes. All Camp Abilities coaches
have taken classes in Adapted Physical Education and attended a Camp Abilities
orientation run by head coaches, nurses, and staff members.
Camp
Abilities PA History
In
1996, Dr. Lauren
Lieberman, an alumna of West Chester University and professor in the field of
Adapted Physical Education at SUNY-Brockport, and Dr. Monica Lepore, an
APE professor at West Chester University, started the first Camp
Abilities at SUNY-Brockport. The program was specifically designed to
teach and encourage children who are blind or have low vision to be physically
active, and to live healthy and independent lives.
The Camp
Abilities model has since spread to week-long camps in Wasilla, Alaska; Tucson,
Arizona; Ft. Myers, Florida; Brockport, New York; Mayaguez, Puerto Rico; and
Guatemala, and weekend camps in Merrick, Maryland and West Chester, PA.
Camp
Abilities PA is sponsored by West Chester University College of Health Sciences
and the Department of Kinesiology and co-hosted with the Blind Sports
Organizations of PA and DE.