Sponsored by BREC
Whether feeling comfortable enough to hold a baby alligator on a swamp tour or give a new friend a hug, BREC’s Adaptive Recreation program provides new opportunities, as well as growth in social and life skills, to children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities in our parish.
At BREC, the focus is always on what the individual can do, and not his or her limitations, says Molly Phillips, program coordinator. “We know our participants that have intellectual and
developmental disabilities perceive the world differently. We want to understand how we can help them fit into what we’re doing and make the best reasonable accommodations that we can make,” she says.
BREC offers a range of programs for all ages, including socials each month, a weekday club and interactive group to bridge the gap between high school and adulthood and summer camps for all ages.
Parents are often surprised the summer camps offered through Adaptive Recreation offer many of the same field trips and experiences as BREC’s traditional camps. This is accomplished through a low 1:5 camper to staff ratio and a maximum of 20 participants in each of three separate camps for ages 8-11, 12-17 and 18+.
“They go to the aquarium, and they get to hold the alligator on the swamp tour,” Phillips says. “If they have a brother or sister at camp, they’re going to get the same opportunities that their brother or sister had.”
While Adaptive Recreation’s Summer Camps are extremely popular, BREC’s additional programming provides a way to continue those relationships all year round. “We see a lot of 
growth in our participants,” Phillips says. “We’ve had comments from families that they’re much calmer and happier coming home. Some of them have expressed social skills they’ve never expressed before, like openly walking up and hugging somebody.”
Here’s more about the opportunities offered by BREC Adaptive Recreation. Payment plans and scholarships are available for East Baton Rouge Parish residents. For more information, visit online at brec.org/AdaptiveRecreation or call 225.272.9200 Ext. 1561.
Check out these options for Adaptive Recreation
Sunshine Socials
Monthly social events where participants can dance the night away with BREC Adaptive and Families Helping Families. BREC encourages participants to be creative and dress to match each month’s theme. Enjoy dinner, dancing and door prizes.
Sunshine Club
The Sunshine Club helps bridge the gap for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities after graduation by offering recreational opportunities, as well as life skills and volunteer opportunities. Participants learn how to be productive members of the community in a full-day program Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Sunshine Interactive Group
This group is designed for teens and adults with intellectual disabilities to learn new skills, take part in new adventures and interact with others their age while having fun. This free program runs Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to noon. It provides a preview of the full day programming with no fee.
Adaptive Recreation Summer Camps
Camp Sunshine is designed exclusively for campers with intellectual and developmental disabilities who can function within a staff ratio of 1:5. During each themed week, campers enjoy recreational games and activities, arts and crafts, field trips, water activities and more with their peers. This year, BREC is partnering with Crawfish Aquatics to provide water safety and foundational swim skills to all its campers. Payment plans and scholarships are available for East Baton Rouge Parish residents.
Registration for camp begins March 2. Before registering, an assessment is required with a BREC staff member to learn about communication needs, assistive devices and other aspects of the person’s disability.
