Camp organised by disabled professionals helps young people with special needs build independence

SINGAPORE – For the first time, 19-year-olds Sri Ramachandran Vijayan, Ethan Justin Yeong and Yap Xiao Zhen got to be on their own at a holiday camp.

Mr Ramachandran, who is deaf, and Mr Yeong and Miss Yap, both intellectually disabled, were among more than 20 young people with special needs at a three-day camp at Kampung Siglap Lifeskills Training and Retreat Centre from May 31 to June 2.

This is the first holiday camp these disabled young people were attending without their parents and caregivers.

Called Camp Extraordinary (Camp X), the event has created a fun, safe and inclusive environment to provide opportunities for young people with disabilities to discover their identity and build up life skills, independence, self-worth and self-confidence.

The campers are either physically, sensory, and intellectually disabled or on the autism spectrum.

The camp offered a variety of programmes catered to the diverse needs of the campers and encouraged them to foster strong friendships.

These included icebreaker games, a trip to Madame Tussauds Singapore in Sentosa and boccia, a target ball sport developed for people with cerebral palsy.

Each disabled camper was assigned a befriender with whom they could interact, share and exchange ideas and experiences throughout the three days.

Another first: the camp was organised by a group of disabled professionals.

The idea of the camp was mooted by registered charity Extraordinary People in June 2023, and its chief executive Ivan Chin approached Paralympic swimming medallist Theresa Goh, 37, to see if she was keen to help organise.

Seeing the potential in such a camp, Ms Goh, who works at the Singapore Disability Sports Council, told The Straits Times that this was an opportunity to put together a camp “that I could apply experience in as a person with disability”.

“This camp serves as a good experience for the campers (with special needs). I do not think it is going to be like any of the other camps they had been to, even if they had been to one,” she said.

Ms Goh roped in her girlfriend Kethlyn G., who has experience teaching in special education and in organising camps, as her co-chair; Mr Ephraim Lin, 35, who has non-traumatic atrophy in the spinal column and is in a wheelchair, to head personnel, including camp volunteers, befrienders recruitment and support; and para-powerlifter Nur’Aini Mohamad Yasli, 32, to run logistics.

“Planning a camp with various profiles of disabilities is challenging. As we continued with the process, it became manageable rather than overwhelming,” Ms Nur’Aini said, admitting that she had pre-camp jitters the night before.

To ensure the disabled campers are safe, a team of safety officers were around to enure protocols were adhered to.

The team also set up a calm room in case any of the campers has a meltdown.

Para-shooter Shannon Heng, 22, said it was her first time attending a camp with people with special needs around her age.

“Previous camps I went to were sporting ones where the campers were from different countries and older than me. Here, they were around my age but had different aspirations. Some were talented in art and painting, others in music. It was good to know more people like them,” said Ms Heng, who is gunning for a spot in the 2026 Asian Games in Nagoya.

Parents of camp participants were happy to see their children gain confidence and independence away from their watchful eyes.

“It is great to know that my son Emmanuel was in a safe, welcoming place, and an inclusive environment where he could be himself and have cool experiences. It was a great opportunity for him to grow, make friends, and have fun while learning valuable life skills,” said Mr Christopher Tapia.

Mr Tapia said Emmanuel, 17, suffers from weakness in his legs.

Mr Roland Lee, whose son Jared, 21, has autism, said he was heartened to learn the camp had logistics that catered to the needs of the disabled.

“As a parent, it definitely helps the child to be more independent and gives us, the caregivers, some respite. It was a win-win situation. It was also great to see persons with disabilities stepping up to organise the camp,” he added. 

Ms Goh said the goal at the moment is to make Camp X an annual affair.

“I think there are great opportunities to improve every following edition of Camp X. Some things are bound to work, while some are not going to work out that well, but it is going to be interesting figuring it out.”