Camp Korey

Truly one of the most magical places in the world is Camp Korey, and this is coming from someone who also adores Disneyland. Camp Korey’s magic comes from a blend of the peaceful remoteness of the Mt. Vernon woods and the welcoming culture cultivated by its staff members. This comes together to create a space where kids with life‑altering medical conditions and their family members can leave the heaviness of the world at the gate and fully embrace a week of silliness, exploration, and joy. Although I didn’t attend Camp Korey myself, I went to a similar overnight camp for kiddos with epilepsy and I remember the joy of being surrounded by others who took medications and knew what it was like to have seizures. Since my time as a camper, I’ve always wanted to work in similar environments and create a space for other young-people to feel this uninhibited joy. During my first week working at camp, I quickly realized it would be my silliest summer yet! I truly enjoyed being in a work environment where my professionalism and my goofiness were equally valued.

 

One of my biggest areas of personal growth during this summer began in the first camper-only session which was dedicated to serving young people with neurological conditions. We welcomed campers who experienced the world and communicated these experiences in diverse ways. Running daytime activities, supporting campers during meals, and being present in cabins at night gave me many opportunities to chat with campers who held a wide range of interests and hopes for their summer and lives. During this week, every camper in my cabin had some type of speech difference which required me to be especially intentional about listening closely and continuously checking in to confirm my correct understanding.

 

 I also witnessed how frustrating it was for my campers when they weren’t understood and had to repeat themselves which was clearly a frequent part and frustrating part of their daily lives. In response to this, I made a conscious shift. Instead of focusing on my campers’ abilities to present their thoughts in a way that I could understand, I intentionally centered my responsibility as a listener. This showed up through my gently asking campers to repeat themselves, apologizing when it took me longer to process what they were saying, and repeating back what I heard to confirm clarity. While many environments focus on growth and working towards a normative ideal - verbal clarity, athletic ability, and so on - I strongly believe that there needs to be spaces where growth is not required for belonging. And I’ve become increasingly committed to helping create spaces where people are welcomed exactly as they are.

 

Later in the summer, I saw the beauty of this inclusive approach through my work with one camper in particular. My buddy absolutely loved fart noises, which meant that over the week I became surprisingly skilled at making them! Meeting my new friend, joyfully and without hesitation, where they were at and using their preferred mode of communication allowed us to build a genuine connection. On their last day, I received the tightest hug as my supervisors commented, “You two really do make a great pair.” I think our bond went far beyond humor and love of fart noises, having grown out of my openness to alternative communication styles. This allowed me to articulate a new value and commitment of mine - not privileging any form of communication over another.

​

As I work toward becoming a physician who intends to create a practice dedicated to serving autistic folks, I’m increasingly reflective about how privileged normative communication affects the quality of care people receive. At the end of the day, we are all human and one of the most meaningful things we can do is try to truly understand one another and share space with compassion and curiosity. If you’d like to learn more about my leadership development through this experience, please visit the Camp Communicator section of my Husky Leadership Portfolio.