U.S. Department
of Justice
Children’s Summer Camps And The Americans With Disabilities Act
2015 is the 25th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The U.S. Department of Justice is committed to the goals of the ADA and its enforcement. The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania is urging everyone to be especially mindful of children protected and helped by the ADA. For that reason, we are marking the ADA’s anniversary by issuing a letter with ADA information to children’s summer camps in counties within the Middle District.
The information is contained in a brochure which briefly describes the ADA’s requirements, lists helpful tips for summer camps and provides resources for further information.
Under the ADA, summer camps, both private and those run by municipalities, must make reasonable modifications to enable campers with disabilities to participate fully in all camp programs and activities. This means that children with disabilities are entitled to attend any camp or activity that non-disabled children attend, that camps must evaluate each child on an individual basis, and that camps must train their staff in the requirements of the ADA. Camps are also obligated to pay for the cost of any reasonable modifications necessary for disabled children to participate in camp activities, and parents should not be charged any additional fee beyond standard camp enrollment costs.
Additional information about the ADA is available at www.ada.gov, or through contacting the ADA information line at (800) 514-0301 (voice) or (800) 514-0383 (TTY).
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