Viva Kai is a Community Interest Company focused on making fun and relaxing places more accessible for neurodivergent people. From independent self-advocates, to those fully reliant on family or carers, our aim is to empower autistic and other neurodivergent people to access hospitality, tourism, leisure and other similar spaces.
This is a very personal mission. I knew very little about autism until my son Kai was diagnosed at age three. Kai is now 9, and his journey led to mine: a very late autism diagnosis and a whole new reflection on what autism means to different people. And as much as there can be many amazing and unique benefits to being neurodivergent, it is often shaped by adversity.
We dont claim to be experts but we do understand first hand the challenges of accessing ASN education, SLT and other support. And we know how the social aspects of work and life can be far more stressful than it is for the non neurodivergent community. Even within hospitality, travel, leisure spaces, we encountered misunderstandings, and sometimes extreme hostility. The final straw came, when I was told to remove Kai from a local theatre show because of his stimming noises. I vowed from that day on to give a voice to families like ours to have a stronger say in shaping "accessible and inclusive spaces".