Who are we?

Kairo’s Kids is a non-profit organization that was founded on the belief that playtime should be affordable and accessible to everyone. Our organization specializes in the custom playtime solutions and adaptations of toys for children with physical disabilities. The organization is currently 100% volunteer run and prioritizes the involvement of disabled individuals and their families. Kairo’s Kids values sustainability and will utilize recycled toys and supplies wherever possible. 

Kairo is a 4 year old boy who was born disabled due to battling the CMV virus in utero. As a result of the damage the virus inflicted on his brain, Kairo developed Level V Spastic Quadriplegia Cerebral Palsy, Intractable Epilepsy/Lennox Gastaut Syndrome, Cortical Visual Impairment, Profound Hearing Loss, and complex medical issues.
In spite of the odds stacked against him, Kairo remains a very happy and playful child. As Kairo grew, his family noticed that playtime was very inaccessible to him and they struggled to find toys that allowed him to engage in independent play. Kairo’s developmental delays kept him from meeting milestones like sitting independently, walking, or talking. His Cerebral Palsy caused muscle tightness, which made it difficult for him to open his hands to pick up objects or press the small buttons on most commercial toys. This didn’t stop Kairo from trying though, even if it meant rolling over and using his face to activate a toy.

Kairo and his family first encountered switch adapted toys through an Early Intervention program that loaned him some to play with. The adapted toys had a large external button that Kairo was able to find and activate without any problem. The happiness he got from being able to play with the toy so easily was obvious. Kairo’s mother began researching adapted toys and found that they are often hundreds or thousands of dollars, with price mark ups double or triple that of the non-adapted version. Kairo’s family, like many others caring for a medically complex or disabled child, could not afford to pay those prices. Kairo‘s mother attended a switch adapting workshop with Kairo in tow (followed by a whole lot of YouTube University) and began adapting toys for Kairo herself. She discovered that the toys could often be adapted for only a few dollars, and that many disabled children were being denied play time at the hands of corporate greed. Kairo’s mother soon began adapting toys for other families like theirs and sharing tutorials online. To make the switch adapted toys more affordable, she scouted for toys at resale shops and reused packing materials from Kairo’s medical supply shipments to mail them to other families.