Inclusion Training Guide for Jewish Summer Camps

We have created this online resource guide to share information and resources which will help you feel more confident in your work with children with disabilities. Camp directors may want to take a look at sections pertaining to inclusive camping for people with disabilities, successful inclusion in Jewish summer camp, inclusive camps, specific disabilities and related activities, communicating with parents, staff training, and people first language. Inclusion Coordinators will find it particularly useful to access certain materials like intake forms, people first language and general information on inclusive camping before the summer, while other materials like staff training (role-plays, sensitivity activities, values based on Jewish texts, and people first language) may be useful while camp is in session. Counselors, division heads, inclusion coordinators, program directors and camper care teams may find such tools as social stories, visual schedules, and tips on managing camper behavior, and speaking to the bunk about inclusion and disabilities to be particularly useful. FJC is grateful for the generous support of UJA-Federation of New York ‘ Neshamot Fund, and our partner, the Ramah Camping Movement, on development of this guide. Through the collaborative efforts of Lisa Tobin, Director of Disabilities Initiatives at Foundation for Jewish Camp (FJC) and Howard Blas, Director of the National Ramah Tikvah Network, this co-branded resource has emerged. In an effort to get useful training material in the hands of camp personnel in time for the 2015 camp season, Lisa and Howard, their teams at FJC and Ramah, and many helpful colleagues in the disabilities camping field have worked tirelessly to collect, organize, and bring online the many useful resources in this guide. It is our sincere hope that this guide will evolve through use and feedback, as a regularly updated, hands-on, online resource assisting you in all aspects of your work with campers with disabilities. Please use the form below to submit comments and subscribe to updates.

Download: Disabilities Resource Guide_FINAL_USE_THIS_VERSION_ONLY