"A Little Hidden Gem" The Lived Experiences of Attending an Overnight Camp for Adults With Disabilities.

CAMPING; SOCIAL participation; LEISURE; OCCUPATIONAL roles; TIME; RESEARCH methodology; RECREATION; INTERVIEWING; EXPERIENCE; QUALITATIVE research; INTERPERSONAL relations; QUESTIONNAIRES; DESCRIPTIVE statistics; PEOPLE with disabilities; JUDGMENT sampling; THEMATIC analysis; ATTITUDES toward disabilities; ADULTS

Adults with disabilities experience a lack of opportunity to participate in recreation and leisure (R&L) activities due to issues such as limited program availability. Overnight summer camps are a form of recreation where individuals can partake in several leisure activities while also gaining independence, developing connections, and providing respite care for caregivers. Camps offer numerous benefits for typically developing youth as well as youth with disabilities which can be applicable to adults with disabilities. This article examines a disability-specific overnight camp in Ontario from the perspective of eight staff members. Overall, participants perceived camp provided many opportunities for both staff and guests to develop meaningful connections and experience limitless possibilities when engaging in activities. Staff also felt camp experiences relied heavily on the people leading camp such as staff morale, staff training, and staff perceptions of upper management. Although the camp was beneficial, improvements could be made to better support guests and staff. Service providers should consider developing increased camp opportunities for adults with disabilities while considering suggestions for improvement as provided from this article. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]