A Georgia mother said her disabled daughter was left heartbroken after she was banned from enrolling in her local summer camp due to her medical condition.
Usree Bhattacharya said her daughter Kalika, 8, suffers from Rett syndrome, a rare neurological disorder that requires her to be in a wheelchair and communicate using an eye-tracking device. Kalika also lacks functional use of her hands.
Despite the challenges she has faced, Kalika is an intelligent and precocious child. She is even bilingual.
And yet, Bhattacharya said her daughter would not be able to attend one of Athens-Clarke County’s summer camps because of her special needs.
Despite her disadvantages, Kalika is an extremely precocious and bilingual child.
Usree Bhattacharya pictured with her 8-year-old daughter Kalika, who suffers from Rett syndrome, a rare neurological disorder.
Bhattacharya, an associate professor of language arts and literacy at the University of Georgia, was devastated for her daughter.
“It’s about my daughter having access to enriching summer programming, new people, new opportunities,” she said. atlanta News first.
In February, the mother sent an email to Athens-Clarke County, explaining that she hoped to enroll her daughter in summer camp.
He asked about a policy he had heard about that could exclude Kalika from attending one of the county’s summer camps.
A county representative responded to her email by saying, “Campers should be independent with feeding and toileting.”
Bhattacharya searched everywhere for this policy but came up empty-handed.
He emailed the county again and they responded: “Camper expectations are conveyed annually in the tutor handbook, which is reviewed annually and posted the week of camp registration.”
Given Kalika’s disability, it was extremely important for her mother to find out what the camp’s policies were as soon as possible.
Bhattacharya said, “Now, if a girl like my daughter needs accommodations, you can’t wait until the week before to find out what the policy is.”
The Department of Leisure Services said all campers “must be independent regarding food and hygiene”, thus excluding Kalika from its camps.
Kalika is wheelchair-bound and communicates with the help of an eye-tracking device.
The county offers art camps, dance camps, fitness camps, nature camps, sports camps, theater camps, teen camps, and an all-day “traditional” camp, all of which are prohibited in Kalika.
According to the department’s website, non-residents can attend the Athens-Clarke County summer camp.
‘Why can’t my tax money go to my own son? “It seems so unfair, so deeply unfair,” the mother said.
Bhattacharya’s academic profile, available on the University of Georgia website, says Kalika’s Rett syndrome diagnosis in 2018 was a source of scholastic inspiration. Her daughter’s diagnosis “motivated” her to investigate “language and literacy socialization within this severe, complex, multi-disabled context.”
The county said the guardian leisure services summer camp handbook could be accessed through the summer camp website and emphasized that campers must be able to feed themselves and use the bathroom without assistance.
In an official statement, the Athens-Clarke County Unified Government said: “While staff are sympathetic to issues surrounding inclusion, the Athens-Clarke County Leisure Services Department is not equipped with the facilities or with the necessary staff to be able to address the toileting needs or Food Assistance for any child, regardless of their abilities.’
They continued, “However, all programs and camps frequently include children with a variety of physical and cognitive disabilities, as long as they can meet feeding and toileting requirements independently.”
The county website lists several summer camps available to local residents.
Kalika’s mother is an associate professor of Language and Literacy Education at the University of Georgia and credits her daughter with inspiring her academic research.
Usree Bhattacharya said that despite her daughter’s disability, she was ‘just like everyone else’
They included art camps, dance camps, fitness camps, nature camps, sports camps, theater camps, teen camps, and an all-day “traditional” camp.
Their website said: “If you know our camps, you know we have a little bit of everything, so if you like art, dance, theater, nature education, the outdoors, sports, games, gymnastics and tennis, we can find a place. for you!’
But they couldn’t find a place for 8-year-old Kalika because of her disability.
“They are citizens, like everyone else,” Kalika’s mother said. ‘She is a resident of Clarke County. She is a Clarke County student. She should have access to summer programming.