Haven for kids with low vision, sight loss

CNIB Lake Joe in Muskoka is a fully accessible camp that lets families have some summer fun

- MEGAN OGILVIE

Every summer, at the start of her family's vacation, Sarah Knip stops to take a photograph of the large welcome sign that arches over the laneway leading to CNIB Lake Joe.

That moment is the first in a string of Knip family traditions at the fully accessible camp located on the northwest corner of Lake Joseph in Muskoka.

Knip said her family of seven can't wait for their week filled with crafts and campfires, swimming and fishing, and spending time with others who live with or whose loved ones have low vision or sight loss.

"There's this feeling of being at our home away from home," Knip said. "Every year, it's more and more special."

When the family began coming to CNIB Lake Joe in 2015, Sarah and her husband, Josh, had three kids, their two youngest with low vision.

Looking back on their first year, Knip said she remembers how relaxed her family felt at the camp. The cabins, the activities, the meals, the layout; each aspect was inclusive and accommodating to those with low vision or sight loss.

"We knew we could participate in everything," Knip said of the weeklong program geared to families, not just kids and teens.

Now, the Knips treat CNIB Lake Joe as their big yearly holiday. They've missed only two years of camp since 2015, once for a family wedding and once in 2020 when the facility was closed due to COVID-19.