“Camp Gives Me Hope”: Exploring the Therapeutic Use of Community for Adults with Cerebral Palsy

Authors

  • Shay Dawson
  • Kendra Liddicoat

Keywords:

Recreation Therapy, Disability Specific Camp, Community, Cerebral Palsy, Phenomenology

Abstract

Empirically based camp research focused on best practice approaches is limited in camp settings that serve individuals with disabilities. The current study was implemented to address this issue by using a case-study design to understand the lived experience and personal memories of 27 adult participants with varying degrees of cerebral palsy. Participant attendance at this camp ranged from 5-42 years with many starting as pediatric campers. Parents were also surveyed to garner an additional perspective on the camp experience. A phenomenological approach was utilized as a means of understanding the nature of their experiences. Emerging themes included: 1) being a respected member of a community (including three subsets of community), 2) a place to have fun, 3) to participate in outdoor leisure activities, 4) a week of independence, and 5) a needed respite for parents and campers alike. Overall, the most prominent theme was being a part of a supportive community. Discussion and implications center on the potential use of community as a therapeutic modality for campers with specific medical needs, in providing direction for future research, and finally as the possible building block of a best practice camp model in settings concerned with serving individuals with disability.

Downloads

Published

2009-10-21

Issue

Vol. 43 No. 4 (2009)

Section

Research Papers

License

Sagamore Publishing LLC (hereinafter the “Copyright Owner”)

Journal Publishing Copyright Agreement for Authors

PLEASE REVIEW OUR POLICIES AND THE PUBLISHING AGREEMENT, AND INDICATE YOUR ACCEPTANCE OF THE TERMS BY CHECKING THE ‘AGREE TO THE TERMS OF THIS COPYRIGHT NOTICE’ CHECKBOX BELOW.

I understand that by submitting an article to Therapeutic Recreation Journal, I am granting the copyright to the article submitted for consideration for publication in Therapeutic Recreation Journal to the Copyright Owner. If after consideration of the Editor of the Therapeutic Recreation Journal, the article is not accepted for publication, all copyright covered under this agreement will be automatically returned to the Author(s).

THE PUBLISHING AGREEMENT

Assignment of Copyright

I hereby assign to the Copyright Owner the copyright in the manuscript I am submitting in this online procedure and any tables, illustrations or other material submitted for publication as part of the manuscript in all forms and media (whether now known or later developed), throughout the world, in all languages, for the full term of copyright, effective when the article is accepted for publication.

Reversion of Rights

Articles may sometimes be accepted for publication but later be rejected in the publication process, even in some cases after public posting in “Articles in Press” form, in which case all rights will revert to the Author.

Retention of Rights for Scholarly Purposes

I understand that I retain or am hereby granted the Retained Rights. The Retained Rights include the right to use the Preprint, Accepted Manuscript, and the Published Journal Article for Personal Use and Internal Institutional Use.

All journal material is under a 12 month embargo. Authors who would like to have their articles available as open access should contact Sagamore-Venture for further information.

In the case of the Accepted Manuscript and the Published Journal Article, the Retained Rights exclude Commercial Use, other than use by the author in a subsequent compilation of the author’s works or to extend the Article to book length form or re-use by the author of portions or excerpts in other works.

Published Journal Article: the author may share a link to the formal publication through the relevant DOI.

Author Representations

  • The Article I have submitted to the journal for review is original, has been written by the stated author(s) and has not been published elsewhere.
  • The Article was not submitted for review to another journal while under review by this journal and will not be submitted to any other journal.
  • The Article contains no libelous or other unlawful statements and does not contain any materials that violate any personal or proprietary rights of any other person or entity.
  • I have obtained written permission from copyright owners for any excerpts from copyrighted works that are included and have credited the sources in the Article.
  • If the Article was prepared jointly with other authors, I have informed the co-author(s) of the terms of this Journal Publishing Agreement and that I am signing on their behalf as their agent, and I am authorized to do so.