Summer is just around the corner, and Georgia families are in search of inclusive and supportive summer camps and activities for their loved ones. At Specially Gifted Foundation, we understand the importance of providing beneficial resources to these families, which is why we have compiled a list of 2024 summer camps in Georgia for children and young adults with disabilities to help get you started.
Autistic Recreational Therapy Services (ARTS)
ARTS is an Atlanta autism support and educational organization designed to give children with autism and other intellectual disabilities the opportunity to learn life skills and socialize with their peers. They offer day camp summer classes for students ages 5-22, such as S.T.E.M., employment readiness, self care/social development, gardening, and art and creativity.
Camp Big Heart
Camp Big Heart 2024 will be held at Camp John Hope FFA-FCCLA Center in Fort Valley, Georgia, overlooking Lake Lassiter. This camp offers affordable special needs overnight camps for both kids and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
Session 1 takes place June 9th – June 14th and is for ages 18-60. Session 2 will take place June 16th – June 21st for ages 8-28. Campers will participate in arts & crafts, music, cooking, swimming obstacle courses, archery, theater, science, cheerleading, talent shows, dance, and much more.
All campers must be toilet trained, ambulatory, and able to attend to their own personal needs with supervision and minimal assistance.
CHOA Camps
Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta (CHOA) believes every child deserves to experience summer camp. They offer diagnosis specific summer camps for children and families that are 6-day, 5-night sleepaway camps and 3-day, 2-night weekend camps.
Some of these camps include Camp Braveheart for kids with congenital or acquired heart defects, Camp Carpe Diem for kids with epilepsy and seizure disorders, Camp Courage for kids with craniofacial abnormalities, Camp You Be You for kids with autism who are verbally fluent and can complete self-care skills independently, Camp Krazy Legs for kids with spina bifida, and much more.
Camp Hollywood
FOCUS day camps offer Camp Hollywood locations throughout the metro Atlanta area in June and July. During camp, children with disabilities will have opportunities to enjoy art, music, science, cooking, and recreations based on the themes of popular children’s movies. Counselors are paraprofessionals and teachers who have experience with children with developmental disabilities.
While fees are charged for day camps, partial scholarships are available. Partial scholarships are awarded based on financial need.
Spectrum Day Camp
Spectrum Day Camp is focused on positively influencing others. Staff members are educational and medical professionals who understand and have been trained in the characteristics of and research based strategies used for persons affected by autism/Asperger’s.
There will be 6 sessions of camp this summer throughout June and July with the first two being held in Duluth and sessions 3-6 in Snellville.
Camp Southern Ground
Founded by musician Zac Brown as an all inclusive camp, Camp Southern Ground brings together typically developing children, children with autism, learning and attention issues, social or emotional challenges, and those with family members serving in the military along with underserved youth.
The camp is located in Fayetteville, Georgia and has sessions during June and July for ages 7-17. Campers can enjoy outdoor adventures, music and arts programs, and leadership development activities while fostering a sense of community.
Camp Dream Summer Camp
Camp Dream provides summer camp programs to serve all children and young adults with disabilities. The 2024 sessions are held between July 13th and July 20th at the Calvin Center in Hampton, Georgia. They typically start campers at age 4, but the youngest camper to-date was 3. There is not a cutoff age.
Heaven’s Gait Therapeutic Riding Summer Camp
HGTR is in Woodstock, Georgia and is an exciting equestrian day camp for special needs individuals starting at 6 years of age. Riders are led by trained instructors and enjoy a one-to-one ratio. While at camp, riders participate in daily riding instruction, sensory trail stations, proper grooming techniques, tacking a horse properly, care of tack, barn chores, and crafts.
Camp Twin Lakes
Camp Twin Lakes, located in Rutledge, Georgia, provides the chance to be part of transformative summer camp adventures for kids who might not typically be able to attend camp. They foster an environment centered around creativity, freedom, fun, and discovery.
They collaborate with camp partners, like CHOA, ESP, Agape, and many others, to make sure every child’s needs are attended to. Their sites were designed to serve children with special medical needs, so procedures like chemotherapy, dialysis, or daily medications can be administered on-site.
Their website has a drop down menu under “Find Your Camp” where you can choose a camp based on your child’s diagnosis, making it easy to filter out those that suit your child’s needs.
Parent to Parent of Georgia Summer Camp Resource
P2P’s special needs database offers a service provider search. Parents and caregivers can easily filter out day and overnight camps and any other specifics, such as ages served, county, wheelchair accessible, disabilities served, and interpreter services, to generate a list of camps based on the criteria specified.
As you review the list, by clicking on any of the camp names you will then see an overview of camp details along with contact information and website links.
Ensuring Inclusive Summer Fun for All
We hope this comprehensive list of 2024 summer camps for children with disabilities in Georgia helps to simplify the search for summertime fun for your families. With a variety of options ranging from day camps to overnight camps and catering to specific diagnoses, interests, and age groups, there’s something for everyone.
Everybody deserves to enjoy summertime, and we are thankful to each of these organizations for creating fun and inclusive ways to make that possible. We encourage families to explore and share these opportunities and find the perfect fit for their child to have a fun and enriching summer experience.
