The 2017 fire that burned down much of Enchanted Hills Camp in Napa, California had a silver lining. The camp was originally designed in the early 1900s for people with sight, but it has become a beloved retreat for the blind and visually-impaired for the last 75 years. When more than a dozen of its buildings were destroyed in the fire, the chance arose to rebuild the camp for the unique needs of the people who have been using it for decades.

“This really was never designed with the thought of access in mind,” says Helen Schneider, associate principal and project manager at Perkins & Will, the architecture firm that redesigned the camp. Working closely with the camp’s owner, the nonprofit LightHouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired, the architects made accessibility a guiding principle in its design, from the process to the final product.

The result is a modern wilderness retreat that integrates tactile and auditory clues throughout its site and buildings, making the camp experience more approachable for people with low- or no vision. The camp has been comprehensively reconsidered to accommodate its visually impaired visitors and staff, many of whom were consulted during the design process. The new design includes a camp-wide system of cane-detectable paths, hiking trails, and rooms designed to modulate background noises, and subtle details in interior furnishings.

“This is an experience and a property that reflects that it was created by and for blind people. You can’t find that anywhere,” says Summer Dittmer, VP of External Affairs at LightHouse.

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