How Inclusion Creates Connection and Joy
Shortly after his fifth birthday, Kenny Hudnall climbed into the back of a van his mother was driving. Just before they pulled away, something didn’t feel right and Kenny moved over one seat. The next thing he remembered was waking up in a hospital bed two weeks later.
“I told my mom to hold on for a second and moved to a different seat because I felt something was wrong,” says Kenny. “From there my memory goes blank, and I woke up in a hospital bed.”
Kenny and his mother were involved in a motor vehicle accident that left Kenny a quadriplegic. The seat he originally chose took the brunt of the impact and likely would have cost him his life had he not moved.
“After Kenny’s accident, our whole world changed,” says Gigi Hudnall, Kenny’s mother. “It was like ending up at the base of a mountain and having to figure out how to get up, around, through and over.”
After a five-month hospital stay, they returned home to their new normal with nurses in the house, therapy appointments and an accessible van to help Kenny get around.
“We were blessed to have lots of family to support us, but none of us knew anything about this road,” says Gigi. “We had some lifelines though, including a great doctor and several people we met in the hospital who helped point us in the right direction.”
Kenny didn’t fully understand the magnitude of what happened. But as he grew older, he became more aware of the invisible barriers that often come with disability.
“It is ingrained in human biology to first judge by sight,” says Kenny. “My wheelchair often feels like it creates a social bubble around me making it hard to connect with people.”
“Kenny is a naturally charismatic person,” says Gigi. “Kids would flock to him because he was fun to be around. But as he got older, it became harder.”
For Kenny, loneliness isn’t simply being alone. It’s the exhaustion of always feeling like he has to be the one to reach out first.
“Even when you’re surrounded by people, if you don’t have a connection with them, it doesn’t remove that feeling of loneliness,” says Kenny. “I always look for that innocent sense of community with no expectations.”
When Kenny was 10, he was introduced to Children’s Association for Maximum Potential (CAMP) a nonprofit who provides year-round recreational programming for children and adults with disabilities.
“When I imagined a camp experience, I thought of a rural environment and one that would be difficult for me,” says Kenny. “I was surprised at the attention to detail for inclusion to include simple things like air conditioning in the cabins.”
For more than a decade Kenny has found a sense of belonging and community at CAMP. Over the years it has become more than just a summer tradition; it is a place where disability fades into the background and relationships come naturally.
“It has allowed me to feel normal again and there is an extreme sense of welcoming peace at CAMP,” says Kenny. “Since I have been going for over 10 years, I often get the freedom and autonomy that I don’t often get in my everyday life. I’m the king of CAMP!”
In 2025, devastating floods swept across Texas, damaging communities across the state, including CAMP. Their riverfront was destroyed, along with some of their activity spaces and their beloved swingzebo, a gazebo shaped structure with multiple adaptive swings attached.
Warm Springs Foundation provided a grant to support cleanup and restoration of the riverfront, helping CAMP recover and reopen just 10 days after the flood, with their riverfront remaining closed for the remainder of the summer. Kenny was one of the first campers to return.
“I saw the damage firsthand and it was immense and terrible,” says Kenny. “But the support from people in the community was massive, and sometimes the greatest storms can cause the biggest growth.”
For Kenny, that growth is found in the friendships, freedom and sense of belonging he has discovered at CAMP, and the hope to find that same peace wherever life takes him next.
“I hope to prosper even in difficult environments,” says Kenny. “I hope others like me find a place like CAMP. No matter what situation you’re in, just keep looking. You may just have to dig a bit.”
Key Takeaways:
- Founded in 1979, CAMP has provided year-round recreational programming for children and adults with disabilities. They break down the social and financial barriers that often isolate individuals with disabilities. Learn more about their mission and the services they provide here.
- At Warm Springs Foundation, we proudly support CAMP along with others in our Circle of Care who provide life-altering possibilities for those living with disabilities.