Summer Camp Still Delights After 55 Years For Man With Disability

At 64, Freddie Cobb is old enough for retirement, but the spry Texas man with an intellectual disability went to sleep away camp for the 55th straight year, happy as ever to be there.

Cobb has attended Camp Summit — a unique program for people with disabilities of all ages — longer than anyone else, but he is always happy to return to familiar surroundings where he can feel comfortable just being himself.

Now mostly bald, Cobb first came to camp at age 9, but today is surrounded by many peers, with adults making up more than 70 percent of participants.

With a 2-to-1 staff ratio, campers get to do just about whatever they want, regardless of any challenges they may have. The highlight of the week-long camp for Cobb was the Friday night dance where he sported a Hawaiian shirt. College-age counselors help him remember to give others personal space.

The program is available regardless of a person’s ability to pay and it fills a huge void for caregivers struggling to find activities for adults during the summer, reports the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.