Make Camping Open to People of all Abilities
Camping offers children, youth, and adults a chance to encounter God in the natural world, in the love shared in community, and in stories told around the campfire. Resource links at this site can help your camp and campers’ experiences be accessible and inclusive. The Disability Ministries Committee may be able to provide training to camp staff through United Methodist Camp and Retreat Leaders Gatherings.
Camping Ministries in the United Methodist Church
United Methodist Camp and Retreat Ministries
Making Campsites, Camp Ministry, and Camp Activities Accessible
New World Outlook, May/June 2014.
Open Doors – Expanding inclusion and accessibility
Lynn Swedberg OTC, Consultant to Disability Ministries Committee
- Camp accessibility is for . . . (how to welcome all campers) (MS Word) (October 2019)
- Creating spaces and adapting activities to help campers with hidden disabilities succeed (MS Word) (October 2019)
- 40 low or no-cost ways to improve accessibility and inclusion at your camp or retreat center (MS Word) (October 2019)
- Recruiting volunteers and staff for inclusion (MS Word) (June 2012)
- Funding Options for Accessibility and Inclusion L Swedberg (MS Word) (June 2012)
Conferences and States with Accessible Camp Experiences
- Camp Minnesota, Minnesota Annual Conference (best practices and ideas to break down barriers)
- Camp Innabah, Eastern Pennsylvania Conference
- Go Camping, Oregon-Idaho Conference and Episcopal Diocese of Oregon
- Jumonville Camp and Retreat Center, Western Pennsylvania Conference
Camping Resources
- National Center on Accessibility, Indiana University School of Health, Physical Education, and Recreation
- Bradford Woods Camp, accessibility through universal design
