Jewish Disabilities Awareness, Acceptance, and Inclusion Month (JDAAIM)

• February 17, 2022
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Ramah Nyack’s thoughtful “can do” approach instills confidence that carries the whole year through

By Kari and Amichai Margolis

February 22, 2022

The idea of sending your child to camp for the first time can be both scary and exciting. So many questions, worries, and hopes come to mind. But when your child has a noticeable physical difference, as our 8 year old Lev does, the worries can be overwhelming.

Lev has Achondroplasia, the most common type of dwarfism (the same condition as Peter Dinklage from the popular TV show, Game of Thrones). He’s a smart, healthy, funny third grader, with a larger than average head, and much shorter than average arms and legs. At this point, he is often mistaken for a preschooler, until people hear him speak. The upside of being mistaken for a younger child is that so far we haven’t had to deal with a lot of pointing and staring (or worse, strangers trying to take his picture). However, a downside is when meeting new kids, they often wonder why a “baby” is in their group. I’m sure you can imagine how being called a “baby” goes over with a school-aged child. Couple the age confusion with the accommodations Lev needs (e.g. a step stool to reach the bathroom, more time to walk places because his legs are so much shorter than his peers’, avoidance of certain activities that are dangerous for him such as bouncy houses), with Lev’s desire not to stand out because of his differences, and you can imagine our pre-camp brains go into overdrive.

Ramah Nyack had a plan… from (before) day 1

Prior to Lev’s first summer at Ramah Nyack, we spoke with Rabbi Ami Hersh to share our hopes (and our worries), and discuss how to best navigate the myriad of activities and programs available to ensure a safe and successful experience. Ramah’s leadership team took note of our matter-of-fact attitude about Lev’s condition and matched that tone in how they answered any questions they received about Lev from chanichim (campers) or tzevet (staff).

From his first day as a camper at Ramah Nyack, Lev was met with amazing tzevet who worked closely with us to make sure that every accommodation he needed was taken care of both thoughtfully and subtly. Importantly, the staff also went above and beyond to make sure Lev could experience any activity in which he was interested, as opposed to simply steering him towards sports or games that would work more easily with his height.

Ramah Nyack is truly invested in making sure chanichim can be their best selves at camp

During his three summers at camp, Lev has made great friendships, close bonds with his counselors, developed an incredible Hebrew vocabulary and Israeli accent (thanks to the Sha’ar Hebrew Immersion program!), and nurtured a growing interest in a variety of sports. With the support of his madrichim (counselors), he’s learned how to start answering questions about his height, and how to handle some of the initial confusion around his age. Most importantly, he’s had fun getting dirty and being a kid! Imagining Lev doing all of the activities he loves – from archery to swimming – helps us manage any worry we may have. Lev thrives at Ramah Nyack. Like his fellow campers, he is encouraged to be himself. The confidence he’s gained as a result of being at camp has made a great impact. It’s been an amazing journey so far, and we can’t wait to see what new experiences this next summer will bring for Lev and his friends at Machane Ramah!