In the words of Nancy Green, the program coordinator for the Occupational Therapy Assistant program at Cabarrus College of Health Sciences, "Wings of Eagles Ranch provides mobility to those who might not otherwise have it."
The Wings of Eagles Ranch is a therapeutic horseback riding facility in Concord, that operates during the school year, but also offers four different summer camp sessions.
The ranch's mission is to give children with special needs the opportunity to have a safe camp experience and participate in the same activities that other children do during summer camp.
"It's a very peaceful place," Linda King, assistant director of the ranch, said.
Each of the 15 college students from CCHS stay with their assigned child for the entire four days of the camp session, encouraging and supervising them through normal camp activities like horseback riding, crafts, swimming, climbing a rock wall and the new zip line.
"We can't bring all the students out because I try to give them individual attention. I want them to have that one-on-one for at least an hour a day to train as therapists while they are out here," Green said.
The OTA students use what they've learned from the classroom and apply it when working with someone with special needs.
They try to help the children learn to cope with changes they encounter during the camp day. These children don't have those skills needed to help them cope, according to King.
"Change is hard for them," King said.
"This is just a huge training ground for the therapists because they get to see how to work with children," Green said.
The students learn what is typical development and what is not. They get to help the children achieve milestones so that they can have the same great camp experience that other children have.
Jessica Efird, 25, has completed her first year in the OTA program.
"Here, the kids know what they need to be doing, but they need a lot of assistance to stay on track," Efird said.
It takes a lot of patience, she explained, more than what she had as a day care worker.
The OTA program has participated in the camp for six years.
Green thinks the experience helps students learn how to deal with people who are different, and work with different types of diagnosis that they learn about in class.
"They're more aware of who they will be treating, and what to do," Green said.
Kate Courtney, 24, is a UNC Charlotte graduate who is currently an OTA student. She majored in exercise science at UNCC.
After she participated in an internship in OT, she decided that was the field she wanted to pursue.
"I just feel in love with it," Courtney said.
Coming out to the ranch reinforces what she has learned in class.
"All the diagnoses we learn about in class, we get to see. We get to see them, and be one-on-one with them. You can learn about it in a book and take tests on it, but actually getting to see it and feel it, you learn more that way," Courtney said.
For more information on Wings of Eagles Ranch or the summer camp sessions, go to www.wingsofeaglesranch.org or call 704-784-3147.
For more information on the Occupational Therapy Assistant Program at the Cabarrus College of Health Sciences got to www.cabarruscollege.edu or call 704-403-1555.
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