One second, the kids are doing arts and crafts. Then it鈥檚 time to pound on a huge conga drum. Seconds later, they鈥檙e dribbling a ball in the gym and encouraging a friend to try to tag them.
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Wednesday morning, more than a dozen children who use wheelchairs were laughing and having fun during a weeklong 鈥淲heels in Motion鈥� adaptive teen camp, at Turkey Thicket Recreation Center in Northeast D.C.
鈥淭hey鈥檙e doing what kids should be doing, which is to have fun,鈥� said Monique McSween, deputy director of D.C. Parks and Recreation.
The free camp, in partnership with MedStar National Rehabilitation Hospital, provides sports, arts and crafts, drama and music for kids with physical disabilities.
鈥漈his is great for their health and wellness, it鈥檚 great for their social development skills and wellbeing, but it鈥檚 also great for them just to be kids,鈥� said McSween.
The leader of the camp is Joan Joyce, director of therapeutic recreation and community outreach with MedStar NRH.
鈥漈he goal is to introduce kids to wheelchair sports so that they learn at a very early age that they can still play like everybody else,鈥� said Joyce.
鈥淭hese kids come from all over 鈥� D.C., Virginia, Maryland 鈥� but in their schools, they may be the only kid in a wheelchair,鈥� said Joyce. 鈥淗ere, all of a sudden they鈥檙e seeing all these other kids who are also in wheelchairs.鈥�
And the program — which serves kids 12 to 18 — is expanding to even younger children to build their confidence, Joyce said.
鈥淚f they鈥檙e 12 and nobody鈥檚 ever thrown a ball with them, they鈥檙e gonna be, 鈥極h, I can鈥檛 do that, I鈥檓 in a wheelchair,鈥�” said Joyce. 鈥淏ut no, you can!鈥�
The camp fundraises to buy dozens of lightweight, nimble sports chairs 鈥� each costing $4,000 鈥� which the children use while at camp. For many, it鈥檚 their first experience with a sports chair.
鈥漈he joy of watching them the first time we take them out of that hospital chair, and we put them in one of these chairs, and they suddenly are moving, and spinning around,鈥� Joyce said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 amazing.鈥�
