Camp Claphans is a residential summer camp for kids with disabilities ages 8 to 20 and is an outreach program of the McCarty Center.

Six camp sessions are offered each summer. The camp is located on the center's campus and features two cabins and an activities building that are located next to an 11-acre lake.

Activities for campers include archery, arts and crafts, canoeing, fishing, horseback riding, talent shows and swimming.

Each camper is assigned to a counselor with the camper/counselor ratio of 1:1.

Our staff members are typically university students working toward a degree in allied health-care fields (physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech-language pathology); special and general education; outdoor recreation; nutrition; and other related fields. Prior to camp, staff members attend training.

Camp staff positions

Interested in working at the camp? To fill out an application, click here

For more information about the camp, please contact Camp Director Bobbie Hunter at 405-307-2865 or email bhunter@jdmc.org.

Camp namesake

The camp opened in 2013 and is named in honor of Sammy Jack Claphan, a citizen of the Cherokee Nation and an Oklahoma native. Sammy played football for the University of Oklahoma and graduated with a degree in special education. Afterward, he played in the NFL for the Cleveland Browns and the San Diego Chargers. After retiring from football, Sammy returned to Oklahoma and became a coach and a special education teacher. Sammy died in 2001 at the age of 45.