Mia has quadriplegia and is nonverbal. When Mia was smaller, her family used to go camping but now things seem more complicated. Her mom and dad have their own health concerns and still need to carry out many tasks for Mia each day. It is going to require careful planning for them to go camping now. Mia's food needs to be warm and blended and she has a myriad of food allergies. She doesn't perspire, so her body doesn't regulate her temperature well and when it gets over 85 degrees, she gets very uncomfortable. Yet, here they are planning a camping trip together and Mia's mom is enthusiastic about the opportunity. "Mia loves it when all of us go somewhere together. She knows it is something special. She likes to see new things, watching everything, looking around at the colors, the action, the activity."

It is best to start with small, manageable outings to build your family's confidence and skill. First, think about all the individuals who will be going on the outdoor adventure and their functional abilities. Evaluating the abilities of each member of your family along with their support needs may indicate that there is enough strength with all members of the group to balance any limitations of a single member. Taking into account functional ability gives a clearer perspective and a better indication of the resources necessary for specific outdoor possibilities your family might appraise.

For example, if you are traveling with three small children, their stamina for the distance needs to be considered. Is the chosen trail for a day hike to a nearby waterfall and the parents' strength balanced with the children's stamina limitations? Maybe you have a teenager in your family with a spinal cord injury. When traveling together in a canoe, another person can temporarily be their legs and can carry them piggyback over a short portage.

Listed below are functional categories to assess all the members of your family's level of ability. It is each individual member's ability in the context of your entire family strengths and limitations that determine possible outdoor experiences.

• Balance: the ability to hold oneself upright while standing, sitting, or walking.
  
  
• Buoyancy: the body's tendency to float or sink when submerged in water.
  
  
• Circulation: The ability to maintain the needed blood flow for optimum physical condition.
  
  
• Diet: the ability to intake nourishment in order to maintain a healthy physical condition.
  
  
• Hearing: the ability to hear sounds necessary to function in everyday life.
  
  
• Judgment: the ability to make decisions on matters regarding behavior and choices.
  
  
• Motor Control: the ability to use the body's muscles for a particular task.
  
  
• Reasoning: the ability to think critically, comprehend information and problem solve.
  
  
• Sensation: the ability to detect through the sense of touch what is or is not touching, or affecting it in some way.
  
  
• Stamina: the ability to maintain the energy level necessary to perform a daily routine/task.
  
  
• Speech: the ability to communicate information verbally.
  
  
• Vision: the ability to see what is necessary to function in everyday life.