INDIANAPOLIS — Campability isn't your typical summer camp.
"It's creating an opportunity to give that camp experience for the population that might not be able to attend a traditional camp setting," Tim Blanusa, a Campability Coordinator, said.
Easterseals Crossroad designed the camp for kids with special needs, and camp leaders say it's a place where kids can work on their sensory, motor and communication skills.
"As you see the kids come, you get to see the growth that they've had over the summer and just building their own independence," Blanusa said.
To help with the kids, WGU nursing students are getting to volunteer at the camp for the first time to complete their clinical.
"We typically think of nursing education as taking care of sick people in hospital beds, but there's so much more to health and wellness for that," Mary Carney, WGU State director of Nursing, said.
The state indicates people with disabilities make up 19 percent of Indiana's population.
"So, we want to expose ourselves to this special patient population," Carney said.
There are 25 kids each session, and this environment allows students to think on their feet.
Nursing students say it allows them to learn outside of the four walls of a hospital.
"Being really able to play and see them sometimes have their behaviors and how they work through that," Caitlyn Hill, a WGU nursing student, said. "I think it's really helpful to see that side of it instead of sick kids and things like that."
The students gain new skills at Campability over the two-week sessions, all while these kids have fun and become more independent.
All of the sessions are currently full, but you can still apply through Easterseals Crossroads to get on their waitlist.
