It’s hard to figure out what to do after you graduate high school, but there are added complications when you have a disability. That’s where HDI’s Summer Leadership Experience Camp comes in. The camp is designed to help young adults figure out what’s next after graduation through exploring the options and resources available to them, whether through teaching them about assistive technology, walking them through the process of requesting accommodations at college, or giving them information about options other than a college degree for finding the next part of their path.
Teresa Belluscio has run the camp program for years, and as she explains it, this may have been one of the most enthusiastic groups she’s seen go through it. “They participated very well in the sessions. Many of the campers had thoughtful, relevant questions,” Belluscio said. “We all noticed that it seemed like this year’s campers were very engaged.”
While the camp usually has around 20 students, this time there were a few less – however, for Belluscio, that meant a chance to use the budget to add more programming, including one by speaker Sally Miracle on how to find your strengths and use them to start your career.
“That was one of the best sessions that the students commented on in the camp evaluation,” Belluscio said. “They rated that one really high.” As exciting as the new elements were, Belluscio also knows what students like after year’s worth of planning the camp, and so a few perennial favorite activities returned. Once again, campers got to spend an evening at Main Event, see a show and a presentation by magician and autism advocate Cody Clark, and meet Travis Freeman, the first blind American football player. And, as always, these events were hits.
Campers usually enjoy themselves quite a bit, and this year was no exception – one parent noted that their normally reserved son opened to others in a way he usually doesn’t. “He even mentioned wanting to attend next year as maybe a camp leader,” the parent said. “He normally stays to himself and is non-social, but he let me know that he enjoyed himself and gained a friend, his roommate. They exchanged numbers and talk frequently.”
And with that exciting a send-off, Belluscio is looking forward to seeing what’s possible next year.
