In 1995, Lauren Lieberman was an assistant professor with a dream: to form an educational sports camp for children who are visually impaired. Beginning with a small grant, Lieberman built a local program that grew into a worldwide movement. The Camp Abilities model has now been replicated all over the United States and in ten other countries. The Camp Abilities Story relates Lieberman’s journey—from her earliest experiences in sports, to her “aha moment” during college, to her Fulbright scholarship and starting Camp Abilities programs worldwide. With an inspirational yet honest view of how a dream to make a difference in the world was tempered by the reality of the hard work necessary to change lives, the lessons herein are applicable to anyone with a dream to make the world a better place.

Lauren J. Lieberman, Ph.D. is a Distinguished Service Professor in the Kinesiology Department at The State University of New York at Brockport, (SUNY) in adapted physical education. She started her career teaching at The Perkins School for the Blind in the Deafblind program. She is co-director of  The Institute on Movement Studies for Individuals with Visual Impairments or Deafblindness (IMSVI) (See www.brockport.edu/IMSVI). She is the founder and director of Camp Abilities: An educational sports camp for children with visual impairments. Camp Abilities has been replicated in 20 states and eight countries. (www.campabilities.org and www.campabilitiesworld.com)