About
Down Home Ranch Camp offers time on a 410-acre ranch where campers can swim in the pool, play basketball, hike trails, care for animals, and fish in the pond. Down Home Ranch is a residential community and camp that empowers people with intellectual and developmental disabilities to live meaningful, purpose-driven lives. At camp, they welcome those 13+ with cognitive disabilities.
• Ages: 13–18 years old
• Schedule: Trips run Tuesday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Down Home Ranch offers residency for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities in 1- to 6-bed homes, along with vocational training and paid jobs on and off the Ranch. The organization creates a community where people with and without intellectual and developmental disabilities enjoy friendship, fun, travel, and an active lifestyle, and it leads as an entrepreneurial organization attracting those passionate about disability, horticulture, agriculture, and stewardship. Its mission is empowering the lives of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities through social, educational, residential, and vocational opportunities, and its values are Belong Without Exception, Lead Side by Side, Pitch In With Purpose, and Serve With Heart.
The leadership team includes Barry Hamilton, LCSW – Executive Director; Cortney Dozier, MBA – Chief Operating Officer; Diana Daw – Director of Development; and Casey Dickerson, M.Ed – Director of Client Services. Staff credentials listed for the program include Barry Hamilton, LCSW; Cortney Dozier, MBA; and Casey Dickerson, M.Ed. Since 1989, Down Home Ranch has developed on land just over 30 miles east of Austin near Elgin, and it notes having 30 years of ranch camp since 1999.
Down Home Ranch participates in Texas A&M’s Firewise Certification Program. The ranch nursery offers a wide and colorful selection of plants, and every purchase supports Down Home Ranch, and they also offer handmade crafts and gifts that support their mission. Down Home Ranch welcomes field trips and retreats, whether visiting for an afternoon or staying overnight.
Community involvement includes a weekend ride hosted by the Texas Equestrian Trail Riders Association (TETRA) benefitting Down Home Ranch, and a partnership with Bastrop County Animal Services to raise awareness for Clear the Shelters Month. Down Home Ranch integrates with local and Austin communities while growing its national presence.
Parent and family feedback includes comments from a camper’s mom who shares that her son looks forward to returning and becomes more confident every camp visit, and from a rancher’s mom who notes growth in social interactions and intellectual abilities. A social work intern describes enjoying checking in with ranchers, joining art classes, and chasing chickens, and a sister of a rancher describes the ranch as a place where her brother enjoys the rural night sky, wearing boots and a cowboy hat, and having a role helping wherever he can.
Last updated July 21, 2026.
• Ages: 13–18 years old
• Schedule: Trips run Tuesday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Down Home Ranch offers residency for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities in 1- to 6-bed homes, along with vocational training and paid jobs on and off the Ranch. The organization creates a community where people with and without intellectual and developmental disabilities enjoy friendship, fun, travel, and an active lifestyle, and it leads as an entrepreneurial organization attracting those passionate about disability, horticulture, agriculture, and stewardship. Its mission is empowering the lives of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities through social, educational, residential, and vocational opportunities, and its values are Belong Without Exception, Lead Side by Side, Pitch In With Purpose, and Serve With Heart.
The leadership team includes Barry Hamilton, LCSW – Executive Director; Cortney Dozier, MBA – Chief Operating Officer; Diana Daw – Director of Development; and Casey Dickerson, M.Ed – Director of Client Services. Staff credentials listed for the program include Barry Hamilton, LCSW; Cortney Dozier, MBA; and Casey Dickerson, M.Ed. Since 1989, Down Home Ranch has developed on land just over 30 miles east of Austin near Elgin, and it notes having 30 years of ranch camp since 1999.
Down Home Ranch participates in Texas A&M’s Firewise Certification Program. The ranch nursery offers a wide and colorful selection of plants, and every purchase supports Down Home Ranch, and they also offer handmade crafts and gifts that support their mission. Down Home Ranch welcomes field trips and retreats, whether visiting for an afternoon or staying overnight.
Community involvement includes a weekend ride hosted by the Texas Equestrian Trail Riders Association (TETRA) benefitting Down Home Ranch, and a partnership with Bastrop County Animal Services to raise awareness for Clear the Shelters Month. Down Home Ranch integrates with local and Austin communities while growing its national presence.
Parent and family feedback includes comments from a camper’s mom who shares that her son looks forward to returning and becomes more confident every camp visit, and from a rancher’s mom who notes growth in social interactions and intellectual abilities. A social work intern describes enjoying checking in with ranchers, joining art classes, and chasing chickens, and a sister of a rancher describes the ranch as a place where her brother enjoys the rural night sky, wearing boots and a cowboy hat, and having a role helping wherever he can.
Last updated July 21, 2026.
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