The Zia Experience: An Adaptive Philmont Adventure for Scouts with Special Needs and Disabilities

The Zia Experience: An Adaptive Philmont Adventure for Scouts with Special Needs and Disabilities

To parents and caregivers of Scouts with special needs…don’t overlook this opportunity! The Zia Experience is a customized, highly supported, personalized experience for your Scout, you, and your family! 

Our team of Philmont staff and highly trained volunteers will work with a wide-range of functioning and abilities, from low-functioning to high-functioning.  The range includes Scouts who have physical, intellectual, emotional, and/or hidden disabilities.  Scouts who are verbal and nonverbal, as well as toilet-trained and untrained will be welcomed.  Our team will finalize program registration long before the experience begins, so that parents/caregivers and Scouts can meet in-person, via video conference, or phone call with our leadership team one or more times before arrival.  The goal of these pre-experience conversations will be to understand the type of experience your Scout wants to have, as well as his or her abilities, special needs, special health care challenges, medications, allergies, diet restrictions, housing and personal care needs, transportation and mobility issues, advancement goals, and other associated risk management issues.  The goal is to design experiences for Scouts ranging from a backcountry trek, to modified backcountry day adventures, to a basic residential camp experience in base camp. 

To make sure we are able to give you and your family the best experience possible, families will apply to participate and we will reach out to you to discuss what your specific needs will be and help create a positive Philmont experience with you. 

Event Flyer

Conference Dates: June 23 – 29

Conference Fee: $425 plus housing

Register for The Zia Experience: – 2024