Join SuperCaptainBraveMan at the Los Angeles Abilities Expo!

Hello, SuperCaptainBraveFans! We are a week away from the Los Angeles Abilities Expo which will take place at The Los Angeles Convention Center.

This trade event was launched in 1979 and has been America’s leading event for businesses to showcase their advancements in technology, products, and services that help aid and advance people with disabilities’ quality of life.

jenn, kyle and leah at last year’s abilities expo.

We believe that our mission at SuperCaptainBraveMan aligns perfectly with the values of the Abilities Expo. SuperCaptainBraveMan books provide kids with entertainment, representation, and a call to “Lead with Kindness.” We are so honored to be a part of this three-day event!

Catch us at booth 446 where you can purchase SuperCaptainBraveMan books, select merchandise, and meet Kyle and the rest of his Super Team.

The Abilities Expo is in Los Angeles, March 15-17 at the LA Convention Center, West Hall. Doors open at 11 am and admission is free! Just register before the event at abilities.com/losangeles.

We can’t wait to see you there!

Winter Wonderland! Inclusive Activities for Children of All Abilities

Winter is a magical season filled with snowflakes and the joy of spending time with friends and family. For children of all abilities, the chilly weather provides a perfect canvas for creating lasting memories together. In this article, we'll explore a variety of winter activities that are not only fun but also inclusive, thanks to adaptive equipment provided by companies committed to ensuring every child can participate in the wonders of the snowy season.

1. Let’s Build A Snowman! ☃️ Gather the gang and embark on a snowman-building adventure! This classic winter activity is perfect for fostering teamwork and creativity. For children with mobility challenges, consider providing adaptive tools like molds, making it easier for everyone to contribute to the creation of their unique snow friend. Some can even be made indoors with snow-like materials!

2. Adaptive Ice Skating! ⛸️ For an inclusive ice skating experience, turn to organizations like Inclusive Skating and US Figure Skating for recreational programs that welcome kids of all abilities. Companies like Gliding Stars and Riedell offer great products like adaptive ice skates and stabilizers. Many ice rinks now offer inclusive skating sessions, equipped with these adaptive tools, ensuring that every child can glide gracefully across the ice.

3. Winter Nature Scavenger Hunt! 🔍 Take part in a nature scavenger hunt with inclusive considerations. Here’s how to set up a scavenger hunt using AAC. Here are links from KC Edventures and Green Child Magazine for winter wonderland searching suggestions and printable lists.

4. Sensory Snow Painting! 🎨 Engage in sensory snow painting with adaptive equipment like specially designed spray bottles and tools that allow children with different abilities to create vibrant masterpieces on the snow, providing both a creative and sensory experience. Active Hands is a great website for products to aid in gripping. Here’s a great blog on how to create your own snowy sensory experience for kids.

5. Adaptive Sledding Fun! 🛷 Enjoy the thrill of sledding with adaptive sleds that come in all shapes and sizes. These sleds are designed to accommodate various mobility needs, ensuring that every child can experience the exhilaration of sliding down the hill.

6. Winter Storytime and Crafts! ❄️ Indoor winter activities can be inclusive too. Read the awesome books from the SuperCaptainBraveMan collection — they all celebrate diversity and inclusivity. Make endless crafts using adaptive art supplies from places like Zot Artz and Blick, empowering people of all abilities to express themselves through their creations.

7. Accessible Winter Sports! For those who are ready to take on the slopes or other winter adventures, check out this list of Adaptive Skiing Centers across the US and this list of Winter Adaptive Sports & Recreation Activities for People with Disabilities. These places ensure that folks with different abilities can participate in a variety of winter sports.

Winter is a season for everyone to come together and create joyful memories. With more options now than ever, children of all abilities can enjoy the magic of winter with adaptive equipment, toys, and experiences. So, bundle up, grab your mittens, and let the inclusive winter adventures begin!

A Kid’s Best Friend: How Pups Can Bring Joy to Kids with Disabilities

Dogs are a delight! There's a reason why they have been dubbed "Man's Best Friend." Dogs have been domesticated animals for more than 30,000 years. They make the perfect Superhero Sidekick for any kid! Dogs are very smart animals. They can adapt, learn quickly, and understand commands and lessons. Some dogs train in special schools to help people with disabilities. These special dogs are called Service Animals and Therapy Dogs.

Service Animals and Therapy Dogs play an essential role in the lives of children with disabilities. These dogs are trained to assist children with a wide range of needs, including physical, emotional, and cognitive disabilities.

Service Animals are trained to perform specific tasks for children with disabilities. For kids with mobility issues, they assist by pulling wheelchairs, opening doors, picking up items, and providing balance support. They also help kids with autism and other developmental disorders by providing emotional support and maintaining calm environments in potentially stressful situations.

Service Animals are super dogs! They can learn up to 50 to 60 different tasks, such as turning light switches on and off, opening refrigerators, and handing objects to their owners. These super helpful animals perform tasks to help make Activities of Daily Living easier for people with disabilities.

Service Animals aren't pets. It's always important to remember that when a Service Animal is wearing their service vest, that uniform means that they're working and shouldn't be distracted.

On the other hand, Therapy Dogs provide emotional and social support to children with disabilities. They are trained to be calm and friendly. Therapy Dogs provide comfort and companionship that can help ease kids during tough times when they feel sad, unwell, or scared. They are different from Service Animals because Therapy Dogs are not trained to complete tasks for people. They can help with bonding, and empathy, create positive environments and promote care and responsibility. They can also help children with disabilities develop social skills and communication abilities. We love encountering Therapy Dogs at Kyle's school and the care and joy they bring to all the kids there.

Both Service Animals and Therapy Dogs can help children with disabilities to become more independent and confident. They can also provide children with companionship and friendship, which can be especially important for children who may have difficulty making friends or connecting with others. Many children with disabilities find their Service Animal or Therapy Dog become their best friend. These Super Friends create lasting bonds between them and their kids. This bond can help with self-esteem and security.

Service Animals and Therapy Dogs have very different roles, but both can positively impact the life of a child with a disability. Support systems in a child's life are so important, and these Fantastic Dogs can be a vital part of that support system! When families decide to include a Service Animal or Therapy Dog in their lives, researching different organizations that train these dogs is necessary. Finding the right dog for the right child's needs takes time. With the proper training and the right dog, these animals can significantly impact the life of a child with a disability and their family.

Our SuperCaptainBraveMan companion book series A Kyle Adventure even has a story about Service Animals! A Kyle Adventure Book 1: Trixie, the Super Dog is a story about Kyle meeting his friend Courtney's Dad, who trains Service Animals!

https://www.supercaptainbraveman.com/shop/a-kyle-adventure-book-1-trixie-the-super-dog

GTubes: What Are They and Why Do Some Kids Need Them?

Energy is vital to any superhero's mission, so growing heroes must get their daily balance of nutrition to keep their adventures going!

One of the most important ways a kid can get their energy is from nutritious food and a healthy diet. Typically, this is accomplished by eating a healthy balance of proteins, vegetables, starches, and fruits by mouth. But what about kids who can't eat by mouth? How can they be assured that they receive the appropriate nutrition? One way that some kids get their food is through a GTube.

A GTube, or Gastrostomy Tube, is a surgically placed device in the belly that directly pipes enteral (liquid nutrition) formula into the stomach.

Kids need GTubes for different reasons. Sometimes, GTubes are placed when a child has difficulty swallowing, has congenital disabilities that interfere with their ability to eat, or has difficulty meeting milestones regarding their weight or nutrition absorption.

GTubes are placed only in extreme situations when a child cannot physically have nutrition through their mouth. Children and parents first meet with their doctors, Gastroenterologists, and care teams. Before, during, and after the procedure, the child and family are given instructions about GTube care, feedings, and potential problems they can run into. All of this is vital to proper care and use of GTubes.

GTubes can be a pivotal part of a child's developmental progress. But sometimes can be a point of frustration. Having the ability to eat by mouth compromised can be an uncomfortable thought, and those feelings are valid. An important note is being able to relate to your child's needs for growth and adequate nutrition. How you and your child approach life with a GTube are strictly personal to your family's journey. Utilizing the knowledge of your healthcare team and other parent-led GTube communities on social media can benefit you.

Every child deserves the opportunity to thrive and be Super, and that starts with healthy nutrition!

Check out these GTube-themed and Nutrition stories we've enjoyed, and feel free to start the conversation in the comments below!

A Kyle Adventure, Book 3: A Sweet Summer

My Brother Has Two Belly Buttons by Jasmin Martinez

My Belly Has Two Buttons by Meikele Lee

Jonnie and Friends Reach For the Stars and Universal Universe’s Playground Renovation

Hello everyone! We hope the weekend was super, especially with your Super Hero Mamas!

A neighborhood park is a great place to play and enjoy time outside. They're even more fun when you play with friends! In our first book, The Adventures of SuperCaptainBraveMan, Book 1: A Day at the Park, SuperCaptainBraveMan helped a young girl in a wheelchair named Emily make new friends at her favorite park.

Someone who knows just how fantastic neighborhood parks are is Marc Laver. His son, Jonnie, was a young boy who enjoyed playing at local parks. Jonnie utilized a wheelchair to get around, and Marc and his wife Linda made it their mission to add inclusive play features to existing parks. In 2005, the City of Sacramento asked Jonnie and his family to cut the ribbon on Southside Park's new Universal Universe Playground, one of the first all-access playgrounds in Northern California. Following Jonnie's passing in 2019, Marc and his family created an amazing initiative called Jonnie and Friends Reach for the Stars. The fundraising effort was created to renovate Universal Universe's Playground, update its play equipment, and fix general wear and tear due to years of play.

We were delighted to hear about Marc and Jonnie's story and were honored to be invited to participate in this epic event! SuperCaptainBraveMan and the team donated books, shirts, and stickers to their raffle event held on Saturday, May 7th! We were so happy to receive amazing photos of the event.

Thank you, Marc, and everyone at Jonnie and Friends Reach for the Stars! The beautiful initiative you have begun creates a space for kids to assemble, play, and make new friends! The need for all-access playgrounds for kids of all abilities is so important.

Going on a Day Trip

Hello SuperCaptainBraveFAM!

Disclaimer: Please be aware that the information below is based on our own experiences and, to our knowledge, correct as of January 2020. Procedures and facilities may change when locations re-open.

Once upon a time, and in a soon-to-be time once again, we went on day trips with Kyle. Living in Southern California, there are many sights to see and places to visit.

Learning about the space shuttle Endeavor at the California Science Center.

We’ve been to the Getty Villa and learned about Greek and Roman artwork. We’ve taken Kyle to the zoo, the Natural History Museum, and our local outdoor theater to watch “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”.

But it’s not just about trips that make any school field trip planner proud. It’s about pure fun, too.

We visit pop up art locations, local amusement parks like Universal Studios and the Disneyland Resort, and—more recently—drive through exhibits like the Holiday Road light show this past Christmas.

Visiting Disneyland in 2018

But for all of these trips, research had to be done to find out the usual details. Where is it located? How much are tickets? Are there tickets? Will we have to pay for parking? Where are the First Aid Stations? Where are the elevators? Are there elevators? Will there be grounded outlets available in case our batteries need to be recharged?

Every family has a checklist. And yours might not include the last 4 on ours. But if it does, I’m here to share some of the tips and tricks we’ve learned over the years to make day trips as fun and safe as possible.

The question at the top of our travel list is always: how long will we be out?

As a ventilator and oxygen dependent child, the amount of battery life and oxygen in his tanks is limited. We’ve definitely had to brush off some math skills to calculate how long an oxygen tank will last on a trip and how many tanks we should bring with us. Along with how many tanks are allowed at any particular venue.

Our rule of thumb is bringing at least 2 extra oxygen tanks when we go out for the day. Depending on where we’re going, oxygen tanks might not be allowed. So, we’ve had to check online and call different locations if we have any questions.

Nurse Brigette with extra oxygen tanks for the day.

Luckily, this information is relatively easy to find out. The majority of locations—museums, amusement parks, even pop-up exhibits—have a “Contact Us” page with an email and phone number. All we have to do is ask our questions.

I can only remember one instance where having an oxygen tank with us posed a bit of a problem. And the issue had to do with a pyrotechnic aspect of the show we watched. The team member I spoke to was extremely helpful in explaining what alternatives were available to us. And we all got to watch the show—with Kyle using his portable oxygen concentrator for a short while in lieu of his oxygen tank.

Another question we need answered when we go out is: how accessible is the location?

Watching The Nightmare Before Christmas LIVE! @ the Hollywood Bowl, Oct. 2018

Thanks to the Americans with Disabilities Act, many buildings have wheelchair access. Disabled parking spaces, ramps, and elevators are among the things we look for when considering a place to visit.

A prime example of how different locations adapt to these accessibility concerns is the movie theater. Kyle loves watching movies and live shows in the theater. And of all the theaters we’ve visited, several are definitely higher on our list of “theaters to visit”.

In the age of online ticket purchasing, I’m sure many of you have had to pick your seats among a grid of colored squares. And on this grid, you’ll find specialized wheelchair and wheelchair companion seats.

Some movie theaters might have these seats on “ground level” or the same level as the entrance to the theater. Some have them in the back row—if the entrance to the theater is near the back row of seats. Some have the seats at or near the very front right by the screen.

And some—like Kyle’s favorite movie theater—have seating near the top of the theater and is accessible through special elevators and hallways.

There were a few times the elevators malfunctioned. These things happen. And each time, the staff at the movie theater did their best to offer us alternatives ranging from ticket vouchers to another showing, to ticket exchanges to a different movie in a theater we could access, to the option of an escort for using the service elevator instead.

Excited to watch Black Panther at our favorite movie theater

Using the service elevator was fun. Every kid has a dream of exploring a cave system at least once in their life. And travelling the echoing, bare cement back hallways of a movie theater was definitely the 21st century equivalent of a cave system. One that smelled of popcorn.

These options were offered to us when we asked what we could do next. So, don’t be afraid to call your local movie theater—when it’s safe to watch movies in theaters again—and ask any questions you have.

Question 3 on our checklist is: where are the First Aid Stations?

It’s along the lines of knowing your fire exits. If you need emergency care, or a quiet place to care for the needs of your child, or a place to store medication that needs to be refrigerated, then knowing where the First Aid Stations are is an important part of going on a day trip with a special-needs member in your group.

When visiting places like museums or theaters, there might not be a dedicated area for first aid that has a qualified employee that can help. In that case, we make sure that we have what we might need with us and that it’s stuff we can carry comfortably.

Jennifer Norman and Kyle at KCON 2017

Being half-Korean, Kyle and his mom, SuperCaptainBraveMan author Jennifer Norman, attended KCON in 2017 with some of his nursing team. KCON is the world’s largest fan celebration of Korean culture and music. And was held that year at the Los Angeles Convention Center. While there, the staff showed us to the First Aid room and were very responsive to our questions during the K-Pop performances at the nearby Staples Center. (The elevators used to get to the seating area are pretty cool.)

Amusement & theme parks, convention centers, and sports complexes often have dedicated First Aid Stations staffed by qualified employees like EMTs, LVNs/LPNs, or even RNs.

The Disneyland Resort, for instance, has a First Aid Station in both parks staffed by Registered Nurses. Universal Studios Hollywood also has one adjacent to the Animal Actors amphitheater in the Upper Lot and a second one in the Lower Lot. There is also an active LAFD Fire Station on the Universal Studios property.

In both cases, we stopped by each First Aid Station and filled out paperwork outlining our equipment and supplies. In the case of Disneyland, we were allowed to store our extra oxygen tanks at the First Aid Station. While there, we were also given a list of rides/attractions that were wheelchair accessible—which was a longer list than I’d anticipated, TBH. (More about that in a future post.)

These stations were also a good place for some quiet when the excitement of the day came close to overstimulating Kyle. But I wouldn’t recommend camping out on a bed when it might be needed for another person. Heat stroke is definitely no joke.

There are usually several semi-hidden spots in theme parks for overstimulated kids and their parents to hang out and rest. Be sure to ask at the ticket counter or guest services and they’re sure to offer a few suggestions. Facebook groups and similar online forums are a good place to ask for specific attractions and events local to you.

Now, it seems like it’s been ages since many of us have gone on a vacation or even a day trip. For many, it was as simple as picking a place to go, making sure we were dressed correctly for the activity, pack a snack, and getting in the car.

For those living adaptive lives and their families, a day out might have a few more steps, but those steps lead to a heap of fun.

What tips and tricks do you use when planning day trips with your family? Comment down below or share them with us on our Facebook page.

As always, stay safe and stay brave, SuperCaptainBraveFAM!

Kyle's decorated stateroom door on our 2019 Disney cruise

Blog preview:

We are a big Disney family. And Kyle has visited Disneyland on multiple occasions and even went on a Disney cruise in 2019! I’ve got a whole blog series planned about our trips, including how we managed a 3-day stint at sea.  

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