July is Disability Pride month. This is a time to recognize the achievements made by people with developmental delays and disabilities - and call attention to the many hurdles in our society.

At the Y, we believe that disability pride is import all year long. We ensure that those with delays and disabilities are able to participate in our programs thanks to our many Adaptive offerings.

What is an Adaptive offering?
As the name implies, Adaptive offerings are adapted to meet the needs of those who are disabled. Participants with developmental delays and disabilities are able to participate in many of the Y programs that you know and love - swimming, dancing, pickleball and more - with an adapted curriculum, designed to meet their needs.

Adaptive offerings help ensure that the adaptive community focuses on their abilities rather than disabilities. It's all part what we do at the Y - include, inspire and encourage people of all ages, backgrounds and abilities!
 

What Adaptive Programs does the Y offer?

• BumbleBee Day Camp | Ages 6-14
  All children deserve to experience the fun and friendships of summer camp. That's why we launched BumbleBee Day Camp this summer - to ensure that children with diverse abilities have a chance to experience summer camp along with their typically developing peers.
  
  At BumbleBee Day Camp, children participate in all the same activities as the children attending our traditional day camp - but they do so with a higher concentration of camp counselors. By raising the staff to camper ratio, we ensure that our campers are supported all day long. And, our Bumblebee staff is trained and supported by our Board-Certified Behavior Analyst and Specialists.
  
  BumbleBee Day Camp is located at the Upper Main Line YMCA.
   
• Open Doors | Ages 18+
  The Open Doors program is a social meet up for adults with developmental delays and disabilities. Each meeting offers a different opportunity to make friends and try a new activity such as going on a picnic, going for a swim, playing pickleball, writing pen pal letters and so much more!
  
  Open Doors meets every Friday evening at the Upper Main Line YMCA and one Friday per month at the Lionville Community YMCA.
   
• Respite Recreation | Parents and Caregivers
  The Respite Recreation program at the Kennett Area YMCA offers a night off to parents of children with developmental delays and disabilities. Parents can drop off their children at our Child Watch facility and enjoy two hours out on the town in Kennett Square - knowing that their children are being cared for by our trained and caring staff.
  
  Look for this program to restart in September.
   
• Adaptive Programs | Children and Adults
  Adaptive Programs are those that are adapted to meet the needs of children and adults with disabilities and delays. To ensure that our participants are able to safely participate, we modify the curriculum to meet the abilities of our adaptive community. 
  
  Our ever-expanding catalog of Adaptive Programs includes Pickleball, Swimming, Gymnastics and more.
   
• Work Readiness | Ages 18+
  Not only do we encourage people of all abilities to enjoy programming in our facilities, we also encourage them to join our team! We are proud to partner with Devereux and the Chester County Intermediate Unit to offer adults with diverse abilities the chance to get into the workforce. 

Want to learn more about our Adaptive offerings? We'd love for you to join us as a participant or volunteer. Contact Erin Lacotta, Director of Behavior Support & Adaptive Programs.