Camp ALEC is hosted by Indian Trails Camp in Grand Rapids, Michigan.  Camp ALEC is designed so that children, aged 8-21, who never thought they could go to a typical camp independently, can go.  Indian Trails provides highly skilled and compassionate counselors who attend to all of your child’s needs. Whether the care needed is positioning, toileting, or feeding, the care is there.  Indian Trails also provides a nurse on the grounds 24/7.

Besides a typical camp experience of swimming, talent shows, boating, zip-lining, and yes, pulling pranks on Tina and Gina,  campers leave with a “can do” attitude and a sense of confidence they may not have had as a result of experiencing the power of attending camp on their own.

Camp ALEC provides campers with a life-changing literacy experience. Campers participate in fun and motivating reading and writing activities in 1:1 and small group settings.  They leave camp with an informational report which describes their unique skills and deficits and recommended interventions that can be implemented when they return to school in the fall.  This camp is not just for struggling readers and/or writers.

At the same time, Camp ALEC trains up to 20 adults who have already completed a level 1 literacy training through Dr. Karen Erickson and/or Dr. David Koppenhaver.  These level 2 trainees are committed to working with students whose physical disability and/or speech-language impairments negatively impact their ability to communicate and acquire reading and writing skills.  This camp takes the “mystery” out of teaching kids like ours.

 This unique camp is specifically designed for children with physical disabilities whose primary communication mode is AAC (augmentative and alternative communication).