Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

The Impact Of Camp Programs On Children With Disabilities: Opportunities For Independence, Ann Fullerton, Steve Brandon, Joel Arick

Research in Outdoor Education

The purpose of this article is to examine the impact of specialized, residential camp programs on children and youth with disabili­ties. In general, the question is: "Does the camp experience result in positive or negative impacts on development, and do these changes transfer to home or school?" Camps are rich in social (both Vgotsky's and Bandura's con­ceptualizations; Gredler, 1992) and experien­tial (Kolb, 1984) learning. In camps, learning occurs while doing tasks within the functional, meaningful contexts of daily and social life in the camp community. Moreover, the naturally occurring consequences of one's actions are immediate and salient. The extensive litera­ture …