In the Woods They Walk. (Summer Camps)
Ben Park describes this week's program, which will follow young men and women with disabilities as they go to a summer camp especially attuned to their needs.
Don Herbert speaks with Dick, who explains his physical disabilities. His limbs are due to be amputated and he will be outfitted with artificial ones that he feels will be better for him, as he hopes to become a caddy nest summer.
Herbert then speaks with a young girl, Catherine, who has spastic paralysis. She describes what she has heard about the camp.
He then talks to Joe, whose leg was damaged from polio. He talks about the fun he expects to have at camp. He describes the house he will be staying in.
Park describes the trip to camp.
Herbert talks to Joe again, who talks about what he's been doing so far. Joe has "a deep, dark secret" about what he will be doing later, which he will reveal after it's been a success. He talks about an overnight trip he had just taken and a "seed fight" he had had with other campers with watermelon seed. He had not had much success fishing, but really enjoying swimming, where his inability to walk doesn't matter. He describes Dick's swimming abilities.
Commercial break.
They speak with the director, who talks about how the camp modifies activities to suit the capabilities of the kids.
Joe talks about Dick's swimming abilities. Dick is modest about his skills. He describes his disabilities. He talks about his other activities - baseball, crafting and more. He talks about his forthcoming amputation.
Joe's secret is revealed: he got to shoot a gun, a .22. It was a trial run. They are considering adding target shooting as an activity at the camp.
Herbert speaks to Catherine again. She tells him she prefers living at the camp rather than her noisy street. She talks about walking around a lot at camp, which she doesn't do as often in Chicago. She made a lot of friends at camp; she had been shy beforehand.
Joe describes the fun he had at camp and things he couldn't do in the city that he could do at camp. Herbert asks him about the shyer kids at camp.
Herbert talks to Dick at the hospital after his legs had been amputated. He talks about the surgery and meeting new friends at camp. He enjoyed camp a great deal.
Commercial break.
Park describes next week's program, in which Herbert will follow around first responders as they head to a three alarm fire.
Audio courtesy of the NYC Municipal Archives WNYC Collection
WNYC archives id: 150100
Municipal archives id: LT1968
