History
Capable Kids was created in 2015 by a group of speech, physical and occupational therapists to help bridge the gap in inclusive services available to children and young adults with disabilities and their families within the Rio Grande Valley. Capable Kids (CK) consist of three primary programs: CK Sports, CK Social, and CK Impact, to address the lack of inclusive sporting and social opportunities for children and young adults within the RGV.
Play is the right of every child, and creating a sense of belonging is the responsibility of every community. By mobilizing resources and aligning advocacy efforts, we can raise awareness, break down barriers, foster friendships, and unite communities across the Rio Grande Valley to achieve exceptional outcomes. Providing training, education, access to resources, and the opportunity to engage in inclusive social interactions makes a community stronger and more cohesive, allowing every individual the ability to build the empathy, confidence, and skills necessary to create a better tomorrow for all Texans.
Studies show that people with disabilities perform better in inclusive environments, learning alongside their peers without disabilities, developing friendships, and cultivating executive functioning skills.
Capable Kid’s multi-program and multi-pronged training program approaches draw upon the skills and lessons learned in each program. This culmination of knowledge provides opportunities to understand each other and participate in inclusive, equitable play and social experiences throughout all stages of development, thereby enhancing the quality of life for children, families, and our greater society.
Since 2015, we have continued to grow and evolve, expanding our efforts to improve the quality of life for children and adults with disabilities within the RGV.
Vision
Capable Kids Foundation commits to the inclusion of each and every child and young adult with special needs with typically developing peers in all environments within the Rio Grande Valley.
Mission Statement
Our mission is to promote these Guiding Principles:
Increase Equitable Opportunity: Inclusion of children and young adults with disabilities is a priority in decision making about program design and resource allocation in order to ensure equitable access and full participation in all RGV environments.
Partner with Families: We ensure the meaningful and supported engagement of families in policy/guidance decisions, planning, and evaluation of programs.
Share Benefits of Inclusion: We recognize and intentionally raise public awareness of the well-researched benefits of inclusion in all settings.
Build and Support a Competent Community: Every business, organization and governmental agency who interacts or services children and young adults with disabilities or their families should have the knowledge, competencies and supports to implement evidence-based practices. We deliberately shift policy to support elements critical to this effort: appropriate professional standards, embedded professional development, culturally and linguistically responsive practices, positive attitudes and beliefs about inclusion, and knowledge of disabilities.
Unified Purpose: We intentionally and strategically engage in formal collaboration across agencies and related nonprofits to make significant progress toward high quality inclusion across the RGV.
Set Goals and Track Data: Across all three programs we set concrete goals for expanding access to inclusive opportunities, including a baseline number of children with and without disabilities in play, educational, and social settings and benchmarks that track progress toward the goal.