Viva Kai is an autistic-led Community Interest Company (CIC) dedicated to helping neurodivergent people, disabled people, families and carers discover places, prepare with confidence, and be understood wherever life takes them.
Our aim is to reduce uncertainty. Whether someone is visiting a café, going on holiday, attending a hospital appointment, starting school, beginning a new job or simply trying somewhere new, we want Viva Kai to help people feel more prepared, more confident and more included.
This is a very personal mission. My son, Kai, was diagnosed as autistic at the age of three. Kai is now nine years old, and his journey eventually led to mine—a late autism diagnosis that gave me a completely new understanding of both my own life and the experiences of many others. As much as neurodivergence can bring incredible strengths and unique perspectives, it can also involve barriers, misunderstanding and unnecessary challenges.
As a family, we have experienced first-hand the difficulties of accessing education, healthcare, support services, hospitality, travel and leisure. One experience that has always stayed with me was being asked to leave a theatre performance because Kai was making repetitive vocal stimming noises. That moment made me realise that families like ours needed a stronger voice in shaping more understanding and accessible places.
Rather than simply raising awareness, Viva Kai focuses on practical solutions. We bring together accessibility reviews, virtual tours, community walkthroughs, personalised accessibility cards (Spectrum+) and support profiles (VK Profiles). Together, these help people understand places before they go, communicate their needs more clearly and help organisations learn from lived experience.
We don't claim to have all the answers. That's why Viva Kai is built around community, collaboration and continuous learning. Every review, walkthrough, shared experience and supportive venue helps someone else feel more confident about going somewhere new.
I am incredibly grateful to the family, friends, charities, mentors, volunteers, venue partners and many others who have supported us throughout this journey. Viva Kai has grown from one family's experience into a community-powered movement that aims to help people discover more places, prepare with confidence, feel understood and enjoy more of life's opportunities.
A special thank you to University of Stirling Psychology students Eden and Gabi, and Edinburgh Napier University Computing student Shatha Mansour, whose contributions have helped turn an idea into a reality.
Welcome to Viva Kai
Building a community-powered accessibility movement
Understand the place. Be understood there.