UNITY – Tonya Emery sat in her wheelchair inside a gymnasium Saturday afternoon, smiling broadly as she swiped her brush and dabbed blue paint onto a tree-stump palette.

Joined at Unity College by 10 other adults with developmental disabilities, the Portland woman said she was having so much fun.

Also on the agenda over the weekend: tie-dying T-shirts, a campfire, rockwall climbing, karaoke and the “flying squirrel” activity involving lifting people into the air with a harness and ropes.

When the three-day Able in April program concluded Sunday afternoon, Emery was given the Larry Wilbur Award for the best spirit displayed among the group. The award is in honor of the man who got the program started several years ago, after he was in a motorcycle accident and suffered brain injuries.

“Tonya portrayed all the values of commitment,” said Alicia Natchie, the teacher’s assistant who helped organize the events. “She had fun, was open and very positive the whole time, and had the values Larry would have if he were still alive.”

The 11 adults at the program ranged in age from 25 to 60. They have suffered traumatic brain injuries, or have autism or Down syndrome, according to Natchie. Most are from the Belfast or Portland areas.

They were joined by 16 students in the college’s universal programming class and a handful of other volunteers.

The universal programming students develop programs for adults with disabilities and learn how to best interact with them, according to Kayla Higgins, who graduated from Unity in 2007 and now teaches the course.

Higgins said the weekend event is the culmination of those efforts, as students are taught to be supportive, encouraging and, above all, flexible.

“They get to challenge themselves physically and mentally,” Higgins said of the adults with disabilities. “They’re stuck with a bunch of college kids all weekend — and it can be exhausting.”

Natchie said the idea is for the participants to enjoy adventurous, therapeutic activities. And having fun is key.

“It’s about bringing in people with disabilities and getting them to interact with activities they hardly have a chance to do,” Natchie said.

The program was scheduled to feature more outdoor events, such as canoeing and kite-flying, but those plans were canceled because of rain.

Steve Burns of Saco, who was participating in the event for the second time, said he loved the opportunity to be active with others.

“People like us don’t get out that much,” he said.

The connections don’t stop after the weekend, either. Emery, for example, says she likes to call Higgins on the phone to “make sure she’s all right.”

“It’s like a family; like a family reunion,” Higgins said. “We keep in touch.”