Georgia mom says her disabled daughter, 8, was left devastated after ‘being excluded’ from summer camp – as she fights to get her ‘bright’ child enrolled

A Georgia mother has said her disabled daughter was heartbroken after she was banned from registering for her local summer camp due to her medical condition.

Usree Bhattacharya said her daughter Kalika, 8, suffers from Rett syndrome, a rare neurological condition that requires her to sit in a wheelchair and communicate through an eye-tracking device. Kalika also lacks functional hand use.

Despite the challenges she faces, Kalika is an intelligent and precocious child. She is even bilingual.

And yet Bhattacharya said her daughter wouldn’t be able to attend one of Athens-Clarke County’s summer camps because of her special needs.

Usree Bhattacharya pictured with her daughter Kalika, 8, who suffers from Rett syndrome, a rare neurological disorder

Bhattacharya, an associate professor of language and literacy education at the University of Georgia, was devastated for her daughter.

“It’s about my daughter having access to enriching summer programs, 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.

She inquired about a policy she had heard about that could potentially exclude Kalika from attending one of the county’s summer camps.

A representative from the province replied to her email saying: “Campers must be independent in terms of eating and using the toilet.”

Bhattacharya searched everywhere for this policy but came up empty-handed.

She emailed the county again and they responded, “Camper expectations are stated annually in the Guardian Handbook, which is reviewed annually and released the week of camp registration.”

Given Kalika’s disability, it was of utmost importance for her mother to find out what the camp’s policy was as early as possible.

Bhattacharya said, “When a child like my daughter needs shelter, you can’t wait until the week before to find out what the policy is.”

The Leisure Services Department said all campers must be ‘independent in terms of eating and toileting’, excluding Kalika from their camps.

Kalika is wheelchair-bound and communicates using an eye-tracking device

The province offers art camps, dance camps, gymnastics camps, nature camps, sports camps, theater camps, teen camps and an all-day ‘traditional’ camp – all excluded from 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 child? It just seems so unjust, so deeply unfair,” the mother said.

Bhattacharya’s academic profile, available on the University of Georgia’s web page, said Kalika’s Rett syndrome diagnosis in 2018 was a source of scholastic inspiration. Her daughter’s diagnosis “motivated” her to research “the socialization of language and literacy within this severe, complex, multiple disability context.”

The province said the summer camp handbook for recreational services guardians could be accessed through the summer camp website, emphasizing that campers must be able to feed themselves independently and use the toilet without assistance.

In an official statement, the Athens-Clarke County Unified Government said: “While staff are sympathetic to the issues surrounding inclusivity, the Athens-Clarke County Leisure Services Department is not equipped with the facilities or staff to address restroom needs or nutritional assistance for every child, regardless of ability.”

They continued, “However, all programs and camps often involve children with a variety of physical and cognitive disabilities, as long as they can meet the requirement to eat and use the toilet independently.”

The county’s website listed 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 for inspiring her academic research

Usree Bhattacharya said that despite her daughter’s disability, she was “just like everyone else.”

These included art camps, dance camps, gymnastics camps, nature camps, sports camps, theater camps, teen camps and a ‘traditional’ day camp.

Their website said: ‘If you know our camps you know we have a little bit of everything – so if you like art, dance, theatre, nature education, outdoor living, sports, games, gymnastics, 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, just like everyone else,” Kalika’s mother said. “She lives in Clarke County. She is a student from Clarke County. She should have access to the summer programs.”