Home / Disabilities and medical needs

Which Ohio camps serve children with disabilities or medical needs?

These are camps that describe themselves that way on their own pages. Each entry is the camp’s wording about who it serves. None of it is a statement about medical staffing or about whether a camp suits a particular child. Our suggestion: talk through what support matters with your child and with the camp, and bring in their clinician where that is relevant.

Listed, not checked. We have not visited, inspected, rated or endorsed any camp named on this page, and a camp being named here says nothing about how it is run. Each fact is the operator’s or the agency’s own wording, with a link to the page it came from. Read the questions to ask and put them to the camp yourself.

Which camps describe themselves as serving these campers?

Achievement Centers for Children

Camp Cheerful

Official page: achievementcenters.org

In its words: Camp Cheerful, in Strongsville, Ohio, opened in 1947 as Ohio’s first camp with recreation programs for children with disabilities. (achievementcenters.org) the line prints 1947, not a camp season
Today, children and adults with physical, developmental and sensory disabilities continue to enjoy and benefit from typical camp activities in a barrier-free environment. (achievementcenters.org) no year in this line
Children’s camps: Hosts a traditional camp experience tailored to campers ages 5-21 with disabilities. (achievementcenters.org) no year in this line

The year in the first sentence is the year the camp says it opened, not a season. We found no dates or prices in the page text we read.

Camp

Akron Rotary Camp

Official page: gotcamp.org

Overnight: The children's overnight camp is geared towards children with disabilities aged 6-17. This is the cornerstone program, which has been offered since 1924. (gotcamp.org) the line prints 1924, not a camp season
Day camp: Day camp is offered to campers ages 6-21. Campers enjoy traditional camp activities while spending each night at home. (gotcamp.org) no year in this line
Who attends, in its words: Many campers have developmental disabilities such as autism spectrum disorders, developmental delays, and Down syndrome. (gotcamp.org) no year in this line

The year in the overnight sentence is the year the camp gives for the program’s start, not a season. We found no dates or prices in the page text we read.

Camp

Recreation Unlimited

Official page: recreationunlimited.org, camps and programs

Registration: 2027 camp registration will open December 1, 2026 and close February 28, 2027. (recreationunlimited.org) the line prints 2026 and 2027
Summer day camps: Summer Day Camps are for youth and teens (ages 5-22) with developmental and/or physical disabilities, as well as their typically developing friends and siblings. (recreationunlimited.org) no year in this line
Respite weekends: Year Round Respite Weekend Camps are for youth and adults (ages 8 and up) with developmental and/or physical disabilities. (recreationunlimited.org) no year in this line
A dated summer session: Greif, Inc. Summer Residential Camp (Youth 8-22) – July 12-16, 2027 (recreationunlimited.org) the line prints 2027
How campers are accepted: Acceptance to camp is based on review and approval of the camper application, physical form completed and signed by your physician, and camp capacities. (recreationunlimited.org) no year in this line
Paper registration: If you prefer to fill out and mail in a paper registration and application, a one-time, annual registration fee of $45 will be required. (recreationunlimited.org) no year in this line

Of the lines quoted on this page, these are the ones that print the coming season’s year.

Camp

Flying Horse Farms

Official page: flyinghorsefarms.org

Home page headline: A Medical Specialty Camp That Provides Experiences At No Cost For Kids With Serious Illnesses To Find Joy, Hope & Belonging (flyinghorsefarms.org) no year in this line

That headline is all we could quote. Which conditions and ages the camp serves is on pages we could not find, so ask the camp.

Which general camps print an inclusion or special-needs program?

Camp Christopher (Catholic Charities, Diocese of Cleveland): Special Needs Camp for ages 5-21 (ccdocle.org) no year in this line
Cincinnati Recreation Commission: Inclusive day camp opportunities, for children ages 6-12, provide that children with and without disabilities can attend day camp together and enjoy swimming, sports, games, crafts, outings, music and more. (cincinnati-oh.gov) no year in this line
Columbus Recreation and Parks, on accommodation requests: All Accommodation Requests MUST be received no later than Wednesday, April 1 to allow time for the assessment process and collaboration with the camp director before the summer camp season begins. (columbusrecparks.com) no year in this line
Cleveland Metroparks nature camps: Our staff can adapt many programs to be accessible to most children who would like to participate, assuming they meet the essential eligibility criteria. Please contact the nature center leading the specific camp you have questions about, they can best assist you. (clevelandmetroparks.com) no year in this line

What do Ohio’s rules say?

Here is one placement rule, from the rules for approved day camps: A child with special needs shall be included in the group that best meets the child's developmental needs. (codes.ohio.gov, effective July 1, 2026) We did not read every rule that may bear on this, so this is one quoted rule and not a summary of the law.

What do the pediatricians suggest asking?

it is also important to ask about whether the staff has any prior experience working with children with special needs (healthychildren.org (AAP), last updated 4/15/2024) And about health care generally: Ask how health care is delivered at camp. Many camps have camp nurses, but no physicians. Some camps don't even have camp nurses due to their size, and only first-aid trained staff members. (healthychildren.org (AAP), last updated 4/15/2024) The questions page has the rest.

What is not here?

This is not a complete list. We name only camps whose own page we read and could quote. A camp missing from this page has not been judged; it has not been read.