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The
Building
Volume IX Issue 1
January - March
2015
Block
An e-newsletter of the J. D. McCarty Center for children with developmental disabilities
Camp ClapHans to start year three
Summer sessions start in June at camp for kids with special needs
Camp ClapHans will begin
its third year of operation on Sunday, June 14, with a full camp.
Camp registration opened
on Monday, January 12, and all
60 bunks were filled by the first
week in March.
“We are really happy
about how quickly our camp
filled this year,” said Kyle Cottrell,
camp director. “I think it’s a testament to two things; the demand
for a camp like ours and the quality of the program we offer.”
This camp is located on
the south end of the hospital’s
80-acre campus at 2002 E.
Robinson in Norman. The camp
features two cabins and a multipurpose building that are located
next to an 11-acre lake.
Activities for campers
include archery, arts & crafts,
camp fires, canoeing, fishing,
horseback riding, talent shows
and swimming.
Cottrell said the camp
offers kids with special needs a
place where they can discover a
new activity, make new friends
and develop more independence.
“Camp ClapHans is a great
program that provides our campers
with a fantastic experience. During
their week at camp, our campers will
participate in activities like horseback riding, archery, canoeing, crafting and games,” Cottrell said. “Our
hope is that by participating in these
activities, campers will have a boost
in their self-confidence and a willingness to try new things that will stay
with them even after camp is over.”
Emily Reimer, 17, has attended Camp ClapHans for two summers and describes it as “one of the
best experiences of my life.”
“It has given me more confidence,” said Reimer, who has Asperger syndrome and cerebral palsy.
Her mother, Traci, agrees.
“Camp has been such a
positive experience for Emily. She
came home from the first year with
a confidence that I had never seen
before,” Traci Reimer said. “It was
a life-changing experience that she
talked about to everyone she saw.”
Taylor Cannon, left, a counselor at Camp
ClapHans, and camper Emily Reimer, 17, show
off artwork they painted on their hands during
a camp session in 2014. Reimer has attended
Camp ClapHans for two summers and describes
it as “one of the best experiences of my life.”
Traci Reimer, of Mustang, said one of the reasons the
family chose Camp ClapHans is
because her daughter loves to
camp and “we were interested in
fostering some independence for
her in a safe way.”
“Emily has watched her
two younger sisters go to camp/
sleepovers at friends, etc. with
a great deal of envy. We were
very excited with the idea that
she could experience this without
mom having to attend with her.”
Continued on page 2
See Camp ClapHans
Camp ClapHans
“I would encourage other
parents to send their kids to
Camp ClapHans to give them the
opportunity to have a safe place
to experience independence,”
Traci Reimer said.
Camp ClapHans also features a 1-to-1 staff to camper ratio, registered dietitians on site to
address dietary needs for campers and a physician and nurses
are available to assist with any
medical needs, Cottrell said.
allied health care fields, such as
physical therapy, occupational therapy and speech-language pathology;
special and general education; outdoor recreation; nutrition and other
related fields, he said.
This summer camp will feature a superhero theme. The camp
sessions will start on Sundays and
end on Wednesdays. The schedule
for 2015 is:
• Session 1: June 14 - June 17
• Session 2: June 21 - June 24
• Session 3: June 28 - July 1
• Session 4: July 12 - July 15
• Session 5: July 19 - July 22
Also, camp staff members
work with the McCarty Center
therapists and psychological
clinicians “to ensure campers’
social and emotional needs are
being fulfilled,” Cottrell said.
Camp staff members are
typically university students who
are working toward a degree in
The
Building
Block
The Building Block is published by the J. D.
McCarty Center for children with developmental disabilities in Norman, Oklahoma,
and is authorized by Vicki Kuestersteffen, director and ceo. This publication is
distributed via e-mail. If you would like your
name removed from our mailing list, please
send an e-mail to ggaston@jdmc.org. Write
The Building Block on the subject line. Write
Please Remove in the message box.
Director: Vicki Kuestersteffen
Editor: Greg Gaston
Associate Editor: Sharla Bardin
Cerebral Palsy Commission:
Rob McCalla
Karen Rieger
Joe Sher
Joe Steil
Chuck Thompson
J. D. McCarty Center
for children with developmental disabilities
2002 East Robinson Street o Norman, Oklahoma 73071
405.307.2800 o 800.777.1272 o www.jdmc.org
Page 2
Eagle Scout candidate Nicholas Butler delivered a
large box of coats and jackets he collected for an
Eagle Scout project.
Scout project
brings warmth to
JDM patients
Boy Scout Nicholas Butler,
15, recently coordinated a winter
clothes drive for the patients at
the McCarty Center.
Camper Jackson Cross demonstrates his balance during his horseback riding session at last year’s camp.
Cross is riding an American Quarter Horse named
King Glo Jessie.
Fast Facts About
Camp ClapHans
Registration: Opened Monday, January 12 and closes
Thursday, April 23. For registration information, contact
Camp Director Kyle Cottrell at 405.307.2814 or e-mail
kcottrell@jdmc.org or visit www.campclaphans.org.
Age Limit: The camp is for kids ages 8 to 18.
Cost: The cost to attend a three-day camp session is
$325, and scholarships are available to families who
quallify.
Camp Location: The camp is located on the south
end of the McCarty Center property at 2002 E. Robinson
in Norman.
Camp History: The camp opened in 2013 and is accredited by the American Camp Association. The camp
is named in honor of the late Sammy Jack Claphan, a
citizen of the Cherokee Nation and Oklahoma native.
Claphan played football at the University of Oklahoma
and graduated with a degree in special education. He
played in the NFL with the Cleveland Browns and the
San Diego Chargers. After retiring from the NFL, he
returned to Oklahoma and taught special education. He
died in 2001.
The project was a part of
his work to earn the rank of Eagle
Scout. Nicholas, of Norman, is a
member of Troop 242. He collected coats, sweaters, earmuffs
and scarves that were donated
by students from Norman North
High School and Norman High
School.
Nicholas and other members of Troop 242 then delivered
the clothes to the McCarty Center. The project helps kids at the
hospital, and Nicholas said it
also is a tribute to his late aunt,
a former patient at the McCarty
Center who died in 1986.
“I think it was a really good
project,” Nicholas said.
Dance classes offered for
kids with special needs
Page 3
Program helps kids learn steps & to express themselves
Children with special needs can learn to dance through a program
at the McCarty Center.
The classes started Feb 5 and will run for 12 weeks at the hospital. The classes are open to all children with special needs in the community who are 4 to 21 years old.
“Dance gives kids an opportunity to try a new activity in a supportive environment, express themselves through movement, make new
friends and discover new talents,” said Beth Morton, director of physical
therapy at the McCarty Center.
The classes were from 4 to 5 p.m. each Thursday at the McCarty
Center at 2002 E. Robinson Street in Norman. Classes conclude with a
recital April 24.
Classes are led by volunteers with the Expressive Movement Initiative, a student organization at the University of Oklahoma that aims to
introduce the art of movement as an expressive outlet for children with
developmental disabilities.
“The setup is unique in that every child is partnered with one volunteer throughout the course, so dance moves can be tailored to each
child’s interests and abilities,” Morton said. “A therapist is also present to
provide assistance and insight.”
The hospital began hosting the dance classes in 2013 for inpatients and outpatients at the hospital, and later expanded to include
children with special needs from the community.
Morton said she often hears from kids who participate in the program about how much they look forward to the classes and how excited
they are to perform for family and friends during the recitals.
“As therapists, we stress the importance of children with disabilities getting to participate in the same activities as their typically-developing peers, and it’s exciting to offer and be a part of a program that does
just that,” she said.
Follow the McCarty Center on:
Madison Deere, right, an OU student who volunteers with the dance program, works on a routine
with dancer Mia Green during class last fall.
Gutter Dance XII
charity bowling event
The Gutter Dance will be held on
Thursday, May 7 at the Sooner
Bowling Center in Norman from 6
to 9 p.m.
The cost is $200 for a team of four
and includes dinner, two lines of
bowling, shoes and ball.
Lots of fun and prizes are in store.
For more information, contact Greg
Gaston at 405.307.2807 or ggaston
@jdmc.org.
Gutter
Dancer
Page 4
On the road again!
McCarty Center’s mobile screening program
offers information, free screenings to
families of children with special needs
Team will visit Ringling at the end of March
Families in southern Oklahoma who have children with
special needs can learn about
services to assist their children
during a mobile screening program offered by the McCarty
Center on March 27 in Ringling.
Families have the opportunity to meet with the hospital’s
screening team to find out about
resources available through the
McCarty Center and through
state and federal programs.
The hospital’s team will
offer free screenings to children,
including autism spectrum disorder screenings, to determine
what services are available at
the McCarty Center and throughout the state that could benefit
them. Screenings will take place
from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Ringling City Hall meeting room at
122 N. Fifth Street.
The mobile screening program aims to reach more families in the state who have children with disabilities. Typically,
a family must travel to Norman
for a screening. Now, the mobile
program brings that service to
them.
“We want to create opportunities for more of Oklahoma’s
children with special needs to be
reached and served by our staff,”
said Vicki Kuestersteffen,
director and CEO of the McCarty
Center.
The McCarty Center’s mobile screening team members are a
nurse, social worker and psychological clinician. During the screening,
the team meets with parents and
their children to talk about the child’s
medical, social and behavioral history. Team members also share information about the hospital’s inpatient
evaluations, inpatient respite care
and outpatient services along with
information about state programs.
Ringling marks the seventh stop for the mobile screening program. The screening team
also has visited Holdenville,
Tishomingo, Okmulgee, Perry,
Atoka and Watonga. A trip to
Alva earlier this year was canceled due to inclement weather.
Kuestersteffen said one of
the goals with the program is to
meet with families in rural communities who may have limited
access to services for children
with disabilities.
“Oftentimes, families in rural areas have time and distance
as a barrier to receiving services.
We want to eliminate that barrier
and can do so with our mobile
screenings, coupled with our
teletherapy and home computer
programs,” she said.
The J. D. McCarty Center in Norman is Oklahoma’s
center of excellence in the care and treatment of children with developmental disabilities from birth to 21.
The hospital offers a free mobile screening program to
reach more families in Oklahoma.
Reaching out to more families
The hospital started the
mobile screening program in 2012
to reach out to more families, including those who live in counties that
have not received McCarty Center
services within a year. The McCarty
Center, which is a state agency, provided services to children from 57 of
Oklahoma’s 77 counties last year.
Another benefit with the
program is that it can help save
time and transportation costs for
families since they can meet with
the screening team in a community near them, instead of
traveling to the McCarty Center
in Norman, said Darcie Ware,
the hospital’s director of social
services and a member of the
screening team.
Continued on page 5
See Mobile Screening
Mobile screening
Page 5
provided by Eskimo Sno. Live
music will be provided by John
the Franklin. The Norman Fire
Department will have a fire truck
on display.
“As the only hospital of
our kind in Oklahoma, reaching
out to these areas through the
mobile screenings has allowed
children to receive services that
might otherwise remain unavailable to them,” Ware said.
Families who have participated in the mobile program said
they appreciated the opportunity
to learn about resources available for their children.
John Al-Dabbagh brought
his son, Randall, to the hospital’s
first mobile screening in Holdenville in 2012.
Al-Dabbagh said his son
has an intellectual disability and
he was looking for services that
could help. Al-Dabbagh signed
up for an appoiontment and is
grateful he did.
“I thought it was awesome. I was so happy,” he said
about the screening. “I didn’t
know that there were people
out there that would help us like
that.”
Randall, 6, has stayed
as an inpatient at the hospital,
and his father has noticed a new
maturity and independence in his
son and cognitive improvements,
such as Randall’s ability to put
puzzles together. Al-Dabbagh
said his son’s speech has also
improved and he credits that
success to Randall’s work with
the McCarty Center’s speechlanguage pathologists.
“Everyone has been
great,” Al-Dabbagh said about
the McCarty Center.
Randall Al-Dabbagh, left, plays a game during his session with Jackie DeSpain, an occupational therapist at
the McCarty Center. Randall’s family learned about the
McCarty Center during a free mobile screening.
McCarty Center
hosts second annual
Disabilities Awareness
Week
In 1987, President Ronald
Reagan declared March to be Developmental Disabilities Awareness
Month.
The McCarty Center observed the occasion with a Developmental Disabilities Week event
culminating with the second annual
Developmental Disabilities Week
carnival on Saturday, March 28.
The carnival is open to the
public, said Elizabeth Le, speechlanguage pathologist and carnival
chairwoman. “The purpose of the
carnival is to communicate to the
public that people with disabilities
are more than their diagnosis,”
explained Le. “They are people first,
with abilities, talents and dreams.
People with disabilities, kids particularly, don’t see their disability.
Ask them who they are and they will
answer, ‘I am a student or artist or
athlete or computer gamer.’ They
never answer, ‘I am a person with a
disability.’”
The carnival will have games,
arts and crafts, a balloon artist, inflatables, therapy dogs, photo booth,
a dunk tank, food and snow cones
Besides fun and games,
various organizations and associations were on hand to provide
information about their services
and volunteer opportunities.
The groups included: SibShops,
The Oklahoma Autism Network,
AutismOklahoma.org, Ability
Connections, Humana, Dynavox
communication devices, Fiddle
Focus, an educational strategies
and services company, Easter
Seals and more.
In conjunction with Oklahoma Safe Kids, the McCarty
Center will conduct a child’s
safety car seat check. Several of
the McCarty Center staff are certified child safety car seat technicians.
Carnival volunteer Amanda Gold completes painting a moustache on carnival attendee Cameron
during last year’s Disabilities Awareness Week
carnival.
McCarty Center Speech-Language Pathologists
(l-r) Randi Wilkie, Steffan Spain and Elizabeth Le
stand behind their information table at last year’s
Disabilities Awareness Week carnival. They
shared information with the public about different
kinds of augmentative communications devices
that are available to children.