Special Needs Resource Directory

• Cincinnati Children's offers camps that provide opportunities for children with chronic healthcare conditions. 
• Family Resource Center at Cincinnati Children's maintains a listing of local camping opportunities for children with special needs.   
• Fun and Fit Directory has information about local activities
• Abilities First, located in Middletown, Ohio, has a summer therapy program.
• ADHD / LD Camp Directory, provided by ADDitude Magazine, is a comprehensive list of summer camps, programs and helpful articles.  
• American Camping Association provides information on camps for children with special needs. You can search by disability, age group and location. 
• The American Diabetes Association offers camps for children with diabetes, including Camp Korelitz in Clarksville, Ohio.
• Camp Courageous, located in Whitehouse, Ohio, offers residential, day and respite weekend camps throughout the summer and fall.  
• Camp Hendon is a week long camp for children with diabetes in Kentucky and Southern Indiana.
• Camp Sunshine, located in Casco, Maine, is a retreat for children with life-threatening illnesses and their families. Programs are available for children under active treatment for cancer, kidney disease, lupus and juvenile diabetes. 24-hour, on-site medical and professional support. 
• Center for Possibilities, offers a summer program for students with developmental disabilities, preschool through adult. Camp sessions are held in Hobart, Indiana.
• Center for Courageous Kids, located in Scottsville, Kentucky, is a medical camping facility for seriously ill and disabled children and their families.
• Cincinnati Center for Autism has social skills and recreational programs. 
• Cincinnati Family Magazine publishes an annual guide to local camps and summer programs.  
• Cincinnati Recreation Commission has summer camp opportunities at different locations throughout Cincinnati.
• Dramakinetics offers performing arts classes and activities for all individuals, regardless of ability. Classes are available throughout the year for toddlers through adults in the Cincinnati area. Continuing education opportunities for family members, teachers and therapists on using Dramakinetics methodology are also provided. Find a list of classeson their website.
• Flying Horse Farms, located in Mt. Gilead, Ohio, enriches the lives of children with serious illnesses and their families by providing year-round cost-free camping experiences. 
• Hole in the Wall Camps have worldwide locations that provide year round programming opportunities for children with serious medical conditions.
• Kamp Dovetail is a volunteer run summer camp sponsored by Supplementary Assistance to The Handicapped. The camp is for children with disabilities in Highland and surrounding counties of Ohio and is held at the Rocky Fork Lake State Park in Highland County.  
• Kids Camps has information on day camps and specialty camps as well as those that provide opportunities for children with special needs.
• Leap Beyond Therapy, located in Cincinnati, has a variety of summer mini-camp options. 
• National ABILITY Center, located in Utah, offers a wide variety of year-round activities, which include alpine and cross-country skiing, snowboarding, swimming, cycling, waterskiing, horseback riding, rafting and camping trips, challenge course activities and leadership development training.
• MySummerCamps.com is a comprehensive, easy-to-use directory and guide of summer camps, and summer experiences for kids, teens and youth, featuring a special section on special needs camps.
• Recreation Unlimited, located in Ashley, Ohio, provides summer residential and day camps, as well as year-round respite weekend camps for youth and adults ages 8 and older. 
• Stepping Stones and Camp Allyn offers year-round programs for people of all ages with a wide range of disabilities. Summer day camps are held at two locations near Cincinnati and summer overnight camp for older teens and adults is at Camp Allyn in Batavia, Ohio.
• Summer Adventures for All Kids Resource Directory, annually co-sponsored by multiple Ohio agencies and organizations, is a comprehensive listing of summer camps and year-round activities for children of all abilities in Southwest Ohio.   
• YMCA Camp Campbell Gard, located just north of Cincinnati, offers week-long summer camp experiences for children with special needs. The camp provides specially trained counselors, flexible age guidelines, universally accessible facilities and a fully inclusive program.
• YMCA of Greater Cincinnati has summer camp and recreation options in branches around the area.

• The American Diabetes Association offers camps for children with diabetes, including Camp Korelitz in Clarksville, Ohio. Camp Korelitz is supported by the Division of Endocrinology at Cincinnati Children’s. For more information contact Erin Crosby, erin.crosby@diabetes.org, 513-759-9300.
• Camp Hendon is a week long camp for children with diabetes in Kentucky and Southern Indiana.
• Camp Joyful Hearts helps children with heart disease, and is supported by the Heart Institute at Cincinnati Children’s. Read more.
• Camp Sunshine, located in Casco, Maine, is a retreat for children with life-threatening illnesses and their families. Programs are available for children under active treatment for cancer, kidney disease, lupus and juvenile diabetes. 24-hour, on-site medical and professional support.
• Camp Wekandu helps children with juvenile arthritis and is supported by the Division of Rheumatology at Cincinnati Children’s. Read more. 
• Center for Possibilities, offers a summer program for students with developmental disabilities, preschool through adult. Camp sessions are held in Hobart, Indiana.
• Center for Courageous Kids, located in Scottsville, Kentucky, is a medical camping facility for seriously ill and disabled children and their families.
• Champ Camp, located in Indianapolis, is a camp for children and adolescents, ages six and up, who have tracheostomies and those that require respiratory assistance, including the use of ventilators. Many campers also have unique physical challenges, including quadriplegia.
• Cincinnati Center for Autism has social skills and recreational programs.
• Conductive Learning Center of Greater Cincinnati provides an intensive, multidisciplinary approach to education, training and development for individuals with cerebral palsy, spina bifida and other motor challenges. They have a summer camp for children up to 8 years of age.
• Flying Horse Farms, located in Mt. Gilead, Ohio, enriches the lives of children with serious illnesses and their families by providing year-round cost-free camping experiences. 
• Hem/Onc Kids Camp is available to families of the Cancer and Blood Diseases Institute, including children with hemophilia and sickle cell disease, at Cincinnati Children's. Read more.
• Kamp Dovetail is a volunteer run summer camp sponsored by Supplementary Assistance to The Handicapped. The camp is for children with disabilities in Highland and surrounding counties of Ohio and is held at the Rocky Fork Lake State Park in Highland County.       
• Surfers Healing: Changing the World One Child At A Time offers annual summer surfing camps for individuals with autism.
• Tuberous Sclerosis Summer Camp is supported by the Tuberous Sclerosis Clinic at Cincinnati Children’s. Read more.  

• Bridge Riding for the Disabled, located in Lebanon, Ohio, provides therapeutic riding for individuals with physical, psychosocial and cognitive disabilities.
• Children's TherAplay Foundation, located in Carmel, Indiana, is an outpatient rehabilitation facility that offers Hippotherapy (horse-riding therapy) for children with special health care needs.
• Cincinnati Therapeutic Riding and Horsemanship has a comprehensive horseback riding program for children and adults with disabilities. They also have a Hippotherapy (horse-riding therapy) program that combines speech, physical and occupational therapy.
• Potter's Ranch, located in Union, Kentucky, provides equine therapy through their therapeutic riding program.

• Christian Dance Academy, located in Hebron, Kentucky, has a Super Saturday program for children with special needs.
• Dramakinetics offers performing arts classes and activities for all individuals, regardless of ability. Classes are available throughout the year for toddlers through adults in the Cincinnati area. Continuing education opportunities for family members, teachers and therapists on using Dramakinetics methodology are also provided. Find a list of classes on their web site.
• Melodic Connections, located in Cincinnati, provides music therapy-based adapted keyboard and guitar lessons to individuals with special needs, ages 7 through adult.

• Cincinnati Soccer Academy has a special needs camp in partnership with the U.S. Amputee Association.  You can find more information on their website.
• Cincinnati TOP Soccer is part of a national soccer program created to train young people (ages 5 through high school) with disabilities in a caring coaching environment. TOP Soccer allows a child to participate in the same type of community sports programs as their non-disabled peers, including uniforms, awards banquets, and when appropriate the opportunity to play on a non-disabled team. They have indoor and outdoor soccer, depending on the season. They also welcome wheelchairs.
• Fishing Has No Boundaries is a non-profit organization dedicated to opening the world of fishing to physically and mentally challenged individuals of all ages. Their central event is traditionally held on the third weekend of May each year.
• Milestone's Equestrian Achievement Program, located in Independence, Kentucky, is a therapeutic horseback riding program.
• Joe Nuxhall Miracle League Baseball Fields are designed for children with special needs, ages 5 to 16. You do not have to be a member of the YMCA, the leagues are open to all.
• Miracle League Baseball, sponsored by the Cincinnati Recreation Commission, offers athletes with or without disabilities an opportunity to have fun and participate in an organized and competitive league.
• Special Olympics: Hamilton County Ohio provides year-round training and competition in various sports areas for children ages 5 years and older who are identified to have mental or developmental disabilities.
• Team IMPACT is a non-profit organization that pairs children facing life-threatening illnesses with college athletic teams. General eligibility requirements for participating children include diagnosis of a life-threatening disease and have recently (the last 2-3 years) been undergoing a range of medical treatments that:
  • Involve lots of time and extended stays in the hospital.
  • Have had an adverse impact on the child's ability to participate in certain athletic, social and academic activities.
  • Have had an adverse impact on the child's development (physically, academically, socially or psychologically).
  • The child is at least 5 years old and either a resident of the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic or Midwest or being treated at a medical facility in that region.

• Cincinnati Recreation Commission offers Adapted Aquatics Programs in their year round warm water swimming pool located at the Mt. Auburn Community Center. Several water entries and exits are available, including a pool chair lift and “easy ladder” with hand railings. The programs are designed to include all ability levels, including the “Dolan Method” for individuals with autism.
• Stepping Stones offers adapted swim classes. Certified instructors provide activities that promote water adjustment, swimming skills, and development of gross and fine motor skills.
• YMCA of Greater Cincinnati offers adaptive swimming lessons and also provides training sessions for Special Olympics athletes.

To find other fun activities for your special-needs child, the Center for Infants and Children with Special Needs offers these resources:

• Autism Speaks has an online directory of recreation and community activities in Ohio or you can select the state you are interested in.
• Boy Scouts: A Special Scout Troop for Special Families meets every Tuesday at 6:30 pm at Bethany Baptist Church, 6049 Yankee Rd., Liberty Township, Ohio. They are sponsored by The Good Shepherd Home Care special needs provider division. Please call 513-488-1938 for more information.
• Charleston Club, located in West Chester, Ohio, offers social and recreational activities for adults.
• Cincinnati Kids Links provides a listing of Cincinnati-based recreational activities for kids and families.
• Dramakinetics offers performing arts classes and activities for all individuals, regardless of ability. Classes are available throughout the year for toddlers through adults in the Cincinnati area. Continuing education opportunities for family members, teachers and therapists on using Dramakinetics methodology are also provided. Find a list of classes on their web site.
• Freedom Concepts, Inc. has mobility devices and bicycles for children and adults with disabilities.
• Island Dolphin Care, located in Florida, is a non-profit organization offering "dolphin therapy" to critically ill, disabled, and children with special needs.
• Leap Beyond Therapy, located in Cincinnati, offers free assessments to find the right adaptations for your child to ride a bike. They also have a variety of fitness classes, karate, yoga and camp sessions.
• Marjorie Book Continuing Education Society, located in Cincinnati, brings individuals with and without disabilities together, 12 years and older, for continuing education classes, service learning projects and theater productions.
• Morgan's Wonderland, located in San Antonio, Texas, is a fully accessible family fun park designed for children with special needs. It is free for children with special needs and only $5.00 for parents or caregivers.
• Rising Star Studios, located in Covington, Kentucky, provides an art studio and community center for youth with Autism, ADHD, Asperger's, PDD and other communication challenges. 
• Starfire Council of Greater Cincinnati has recreational and community service outings for teens through adults.
• US Paralympics, a division of the US Olympic Committee, provides opportunities for people with physical disabilities.
• Visionaries & Voices is a studio / gallery created specifically for artists with disabilities to grow both personally and professionally. 

The Center for Infants and Children with Special Needs at Cincinnati Children's provides the following resources for helping plan and create a safe, accessible, integrated playground:

• Landscape Structures Inc.  
• National Center on Physical Activity and Disability 
• The National Program for Playground Safety  
• US Access Board  

• Beech Acres Park, Anderson Township, has the All-Children's Inclusive Playground.
• Mt. Airy Forest, Cincinnati, has a universally accessible tree house and playground.
• Parky's Farm, Winton Woods, is an indoor, farm-themed, accessible playground.
• Sawyer Point, Cincinnati Riverfront, has the Every Child's Playground designed to be accessible for all children. 
• Sharon Woods Adventure Station is an accessible indoor play facility designed to explore 19th century life. 
• Thomas P. Quinn Park, Mason, Ohio has an accessible playground.