Orange County

Kids with disabilities shine in Orange County summer camp

Campers of all abilities got to experience canoeing in Newport Beach as one of their activities.

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An Orange County summer camp is giving kids with visual disabilities the opportunity to partake in summer activities they wouldn’t otherwise have been able to experience.

Beyond Blindness’s annual summer camp hosts activities from arts to sports to nature exploration, in order to give campers the fun of summertime. All kids can participate in the activities, regardless of their ability.

The campers went out to the Newport Aquatic Center in Newport Beach for a fun day on the water on Thursday.

Boarding canoes tied together to prevent flipping, the kids were able to row out onto the waves and play in the water. They chanted “stroke!” pretending to be in an Olympic regatta and splashed each other with their paddles.

“Beyond Blindness has taught us and shown us that places like this welcome kids like Charlie and let him just be a kid,” said Kristin McKay, the mother of Charlie, who has Hunter syndrome, and a Beyond Blindness board member.

The campers take similar field trips weekly, exploring all that California has to offer. Through Beyond Blindness, their safety and abilities to participate are prioritized.

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