February is Jewish Disability Awareness and Inclusion Month.  Below is a letter from one of our campers, Hadley. She is getting ready to join us for her third summer at Camp Judaea. Hadley is diagnosed with Down’s Syndrome. Some things are more difficult for her than for other campers, but she does not let them stop her from enjoying her summer. Her brother, cousins, friends, and counselors love seeing her at camp– she gives the best hugs, tells funny jokes, and, if you’re lucky, you can catch her singing Annie’s “Tomorrow” into the microphone for all to hear! She wrote this letter to her future bunkmates so that they will know how to make her feel included this summer.

Hi,

My name is Hadley Brown. I am a girl and I have brown hair. I love to go swimming and play with my barbies. When I am at camp I also like to swim and play with my friends. The chicken fingers are yummy. It is very hard for me speak like everyone else and it is very hard for me to do work. I would like my friends at camp to help me with my work. They can also walk slowly with me so I am not alone. I walk slow a lot. I don’t like to wake up in the mornings so my friends can help me wake up at camp. I also think it would be fun if my friends sit with me at breakfast, lunch and dinner so they can help me make and get my food and make good choices. I do love to play lots of games and can not wait to go to camp. I hope I make lots of friends.

Love,
Hadley

What is the difference between being INclusive and not being EXclusive? Many times the words are used interchangeably to convey that everyone gets to participate, but they don’t always function that way. Let’s look at specific occasions and examples so that we can better explain to campers the different levels of inclusion and how they can help.

Start by asking your child about a time when they felt excluded.

How did it make them feel?

What could have been done to make them feel better?

Then ask about what your child can do to prevent someone else from feeling excluded.

Once there is an understanding about exclusion, you can transition into inclusion.

Explain that children with disabilities are like all children in that they want friends, respect and to be included.

What does inclusion mean to you?

It is natural for people to gravitate to certain friends (or cabin-mates) more than others, but it is not okay to leave people out and make them feel excluded.