Hi Sam,
Our camp at the moment is run as 1/2 day camp at the office.  We combine
the MOVE program with kids in gate trainers, prone standers and what ever
other way we can get them up and moving with music, skating, etc.  Outdoors
at the end of July in FLorida can be quite brutal.
A Cooper car is an electronic car that can be operated using switch
technology.  You can use just a simple switch such as a jelly bean switch
to a big mac or you can use switches with more choices or joysticks or
anything else you can hook-up. You can also put in adaptive seating systems
so that even kids with severe physical impairments can use the car. Many of
the kids aren't mobile on their own even in their wheelchairs.  The cooper
car is great and gives them a lot of mobility.  We even think this year
we've convinced one little girls parents that she is turning into a young
lady and is ready for an electric wheelchair.
At the moment the horses were a one day thing.  Many of the kids were
exhausted by the end of that day.  Most of the kids that come to camp are
pretty severely physically impaired and also live pretty sheltered lives.
They are tire easily.  For horse riding we went to a local Horses for the
Handicapped facility.  They borrow stables from a local horsefarm.
Hopefully by next year, they will have had a more permanent location and we
are hoping to use their facilities again if they become more useful(such as
a covered ring).
Every year we keep expanding our biggest problem is time at camp is unpaid
time and all workers are volunteers.
Oh, I'll let you all know when we get pictures up on the new website.

Elizabeth Thiers, OTR
email: [log in to unmask]
homepage: http://www.bv.net/~john/bethsot1.html

----------
> From: Sam Eden <[log in to unmask]>
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: Our great Camp (at least I like to think so)
> Date: Sunday, August 01, 1999 9:14 PM
>
> Beth,
> your camp souunds absolutely a wwonder, esp. since a large share of
people
> with disabilities never,never go outside
> 3 quick quweriesc from a 1-fingered typist
> 1) what is a cooper car?
> 2) how much acreage did you all have to work with?
> 3) was there any overnight camping or stargazing or  both?
> oh,yes,did you have a vespers service for outdoor worship? how did thatv
go?
> blessings,
> sce
> [log in to unmask]