The Power of Peer Mentoring and Support, My Time At Camp

Summer is here, and it is a time I remember fondly. When I was 6 years old, I attended my first summer camp. At first, the idea of being away from my family was scary. I was going to an unfamiliar place where I did not know anyone or what to expect. I did not know it at the time, but camp was going to change the course of my life forever!  

On my first day, I was anxious, but I started to see kids with hearing aids and kids that used sign language. I cannot describe the excitement I felt when I saw so many kids who were just like me – deaf.  

For the first time, I truly had a feeling of community and inclusion. I met kids with a spectrum of hearing loss and was able to practice using sign language with them. This was an incredible opportunity for me because I had never used sign language with other kids before.  

I fell in love with everything about camp. I was able to build campfires, share stories, connect with the counselors, swim, do arts and crafts, go in a mud pit, play practical jokes, and more! By the end of the week, when my mother and grandmother came, I could not stop talking about my amazing week.  

Camp also provided new opportunities for my family and I; we went to Deaf and Hard of Hearing Family conferences, learned about resources and technology for the deaf, and most importantly, how to be stronger advocates.  I felt like Alice in Wonderland, opening doors to new possibilities that helped me learn more about myself. I even changed schools because of camp and ended up attending a school that specialized in deaf education.  

My last year at camp was bittersweet. It meant leaving the place that gave me so much, but I knew I would be back one day.  

In college I unexpectedly reconnected with a friend who shared that she worked at a cross-disability camp for children and adults; and I was all in! I wanted to give these campers the experiences I had at camp, so I became a camp counselor.  

As a counselor, I was able to connect with my campers on a personal level. I learned about the barriers they faced at home and was able to teach them tools that I had acquired throughout my life experiences. The thing we all had in common is camp was our escape from the constant injustice we experienced everywhere else in the world. When we were together, we could relate to one another’s experiences. We knew we were not alone and that was powerful!  

The community of people I found at camp was incredible. Learning from peers with disabilities and sharing my lived experience was life changing. If you need a peer to connect with, Direct provides peer mentoring and support services. Working with a peer can help you remove barriers and know you are not alone; If you need help finding a disability community that is supportive and inclusive contact Direct today!