Ali’s Family Finds Respite and Community at Easter Seals Family Camp
“It was the best experience we have ever had. Everything is so customized and tailored to the boys’ needs. Not only my boys, but all kids with physical disabilities,” shared Ali after his first visit to Easter Seals family camp.
After two years of waiting, Ali and his wife were finally able to bring their three sons to Camp Woodeden this past summer. The boys are 13, 8, and 7 years old and “…all three are special needs,” Ali explained. Their youngest son has severe autism and is non-verbal, “…so we are not usually able to participate in all of the events and family gatherings. Most of the time one of us stays home,” continued Ali.
“There is no worrying, no fear. You know your kids are in good hands.”
Ali became aware of Easter Seals Ontario a few years ago when he was looking for accessibility equipment for a family member. His boys all have developmental disabilities; however, his oldest son, Ammaar, also has mobility challenges as a result of his condition. “Ammaar has Williams syndrome, a rare genetic disorder, missing about 28 genes,” Ali shared, “but one of the genes that is missing affects the body tissue. So that’s what causes him to have [ankle foot orthotics]; he can’t put his foot down.”
Ali learned about Easter Seals’ family camp back in 2019; however, the COVID-19 pandemic and other personal circumstances prevented his family from attending, until this past summer. “When we found out [Easter Seals] camp was re-opening, I put reminders in the calendar. I didn’t want to miss [registration],” Ali shared. “When we found out we were accepted, we were so excited.”
After much anticipation, and a two-hour drive from Brampton, Ali and his family arrived at Camp Woodeden in London, Ontario. “Once we got there, our youngest boy was having a hard time,” Ali explained. “He didn’t want to stay in the car, he wanted to get out and run around. He was crying and screaming, and I was thinking ‘I don’t know how we are going to do this for four days.’”
“It was the best experience we have ever had. Everything is so customized and tailored to the boys’ needs. Not only my boys, but all kids with physical disabilities.”
“It took a couple of hours to get settled down and into the room,” Ali continued. “But then we went outside, and everyone was outside playing around and having fun. So we got more comfortable, and we started going up to the counsellors, and they were so friendly. We just loved it.”
Their oldest son, Ammaar, took to the camp environment right away. “With his syndrome, he is very social with adults. If he is around his own age group, he hardly talks, so he tries to find older people. So at camp, he had counsellors with him all of the time, so you can imagine how happy he was!”
“The experience they will get there is something they will never experience elsewhere. It will become like a family.”
Having three children with special needs, Ali noted how beneficial and appreciated it was to be in such a safe and accessible environment: “There is no worrying, no fear. You know your kids are in good hands. And they even arranged for some activities just for parents and the counsellors would watch the kids. We don’t usually get to do that.”
Ali and his wife not only found respite at Easter Seals family camp, they also found community. “Spending four nights in that atmosphere, in the environment with the families and the counsellors, I didn’t realize we had got so connected,” explained Ali. He encourages other Easter Seals families to try out family camp, noting that “the experience they will get there is something they will never experience elsewhere. It will become like a family.”