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Camping fun for everyone I n the past few years, organizers of Brookfield Zoo’s popular ZooCamp program began to notice an increase in the number of campers who have special needs. That discovery caused the zoo to reach out to the CVS Caremark Charitable Trust, which ultimately led to the ZooCamp for All program. The program’s new name reflects the zoo’s desire to make sure children of all ability levels feel welcome and comfortable at camp, which is for ages 4-14. So they invested in some accessibility materials, including cushions for those with sensory issues, special scissors, and visual schedules and timers. Other changes include an open house before camp starts to help lessen kids’ anxiety, and tagless T-shirts for kids who are very particular about their clothing.
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ZooCamp for All includes special activities like animal visits and opportunities to make enrichment toys for the animals, plus art projects and games, which also were tweaked to reflect the zoo’s desire for inclusivity. “A lot of your standard camp activities are very competitive,” says Katie Edinger, supervisor of camp, overnight and family programs. “That can be very stressful, especially for campers with special needs. We’re shifting our focus to cooperative games … all working together with a common goal.” Brookfield Zoo also worked with Aspire of Illinois to help train counselors in person-first language and helping foster connections between children. “It’s really important for them to feel comfortable and confident working with children of all
Comic book educates about epilepsy In 2013, four superhero movies were among the year’s top-grossing films. But some lesser known superheroes, called the Medikidz, also were having an impact—helping teach ch kids about epilepsy. A new comic book,“Medikidz Explain Epilepsy,” is based on the experiences of 14-year-old Jack, who has epilepsy. He is joined by a group of five superheroes, the titular Medikidz, who help to explain what it is like to live with the condition. Eisai Inc., a pharmaceutical company, teamed up with a U.K.-based comic book company that has books for more than 30 medical conditions to create a first-of-its-kind comic book in the U.S. A board of U.S.-based neurologists peer-reviewed the comic book to make sure it was accurate. The book is available for free at eisaiepilepsy.com.
abilities,” Edinger says. The zoo built in some staff flexibility, so that kids who need one-on-one attention can have a counselor with them at all times. Families can bring along their own aide at no extra cost. ZooCamp for All has no limit on the number of campers with special needs it can accommodate. Registration can be completed at czs.org/camp.
Font especially for people with dyslexia For people with dyslexia, letters and words often appear differently than they do for typical readers. But a new font, created by a graphic designer who has dyslexia, may enhance the reading experience. The font, called Dyslexie, i was created by Christian Boer using research about how dyslexia affects perception of letters and words, especially the tendency to rotate letters or see them as 3-D objects. Dyslexie puts greater weight on the bottom of letters like ‘d,’ lengthens “ascenders” and “descenders” on letters like ‘h,’ increases the openings of letters like ‘c ‘and ‘e,’ tips some letters,
lik like ‘j‘j,’’ slightly li htl tto k keep it ffrom looking so similar to ‘i,’ and bolds capital letters and punctuation to make them stand out. A 2012 survey of 250 individuals with dyslexia found that the majority of respondents made fewer reading mistakes and had increased reading speed when using Dyslexie. The font is available on vBookz, a text-to-speech app sold in the Apple app store. ChicagoParent.com |
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