A Picture Book that Celebrates Kids’ Diverse Abilities in Action
Photo by Mike Cox on Unsplash
Karen Autio has written a new picture book, I Can, Too, illustrated by Laura Watson, that celebrates children’s diverse abilities in action. Active for Life have interviewed the author.
The two main characters in the book, Kayla and Piper, bike, skate, ski, ride horses, play on the beach with their friends. Kayla has a physical disability and makes use of adaptive equipment in her active outdoor life, from a hand-propelled tricycle to a sit-ski, beach wheelchair, hiking wheelchair and more.
In the interview, Karen Autio talks about her daughter, Annaliis, who was born with spina bifida, and who was the inspiration for the book. Annaliis used every piece of equipment in the book and especially loved sit-skiing.
Annaliis was not as interested in competitive sports, although she was part of a wheelchair basketball team, mostly for the social part, but her favourite sporting activity was speeding down a mountain. The family are based in Kelowna, with the ski hill close by and had the support of Powderhounds Adaptive Snow Sports
Karen acknowledges that there are more resources available in bigger communities, but, if there is community interest, with volunteers and people willing to fundraise to get equipment, she has seen smaller communities provide opportunities such as wheelchair basketball. She recommends connecting with child development centres, where “there are people there who know how to access adaptive activities and equipment in the community”, e.g. beach wheelchairs.
Other resources that can be searched online are locations of adaptive playgrounds. Karen has donated a portion of the royalties from the sale of her book to Julia’s Junction, a fully accessible playground for kids that has opened recently in West Kelowna. She says that it is really the “gold standard of adaptive playgrounds”.
In answer to the question of what parents and children can do to foster inclusion, Karen comments:
First off, treat a child with a disability as any other child. Go up and say, “Hi! My name is… What’s your name? Do you want to play? What do you like to play?” If the child is nonverbal, the parent or caregiver will give that information. Try to encourage your own child not to blurt out anything about the disability but instead compliment the child’s adaptive equipment. As you get to know the child, the questions you might have at the beginning won’t seem as important. If your child has a question, such as when seeing a person using a wheelchair, respond in a matter-of-fact way with your child: “That child uses a wheelchair to get around.”
Karen is planning a sequel, Playdate Surprise, that explores inclusion and accessibility in play dates. I Can, Too! Is currently available in English and French, and can be found at many local libraries.
The article ends with three links for those looking for more resources for helping children engage in adaptive activities: