Ben's Blue Bags are bags filled with sensory toys and tools to help first responders treat patients, and they are filling a gap across the country.
"They expand out and make noise," said Ben's Blue Bags co-founder Matt Kodicek.
A few simple items, a blue bag, and a shift in what it means to be inclusive is what Ben's Blue Bags is all about.
Kodicek says a map is used to point out pain so first responders can better communicate with kids on the autism spectrum. It is one of many sensory tools you will find in Ben's Blue Bags.
"His favorite things is trains, but we have trains in my Blue Bags," Kodicek said.
Inspired by his 10-year-old son, Ben, Kodicek says the bag includes Rubik's cubes and bouncing balls.
"Different fidget spinners, we do like four different colors," Kodicek said.
The bags hitch a ride in ambulances, fire trucks, and even police cars.
"I really was able to put together is years of being a first responder, and now, a dad with a child on the spectrum, just kind of filling that gap that we were not doing as first responders," Kodicek said.
Kodicek says the tools have helped paramedics in Crown Point, Indiana do their job. Firefighter and paramedic Gabriel Azcona said the toys distracted one of his patients to the point where they were able to get him medical attention.
"We didn't have to use any kind of harsh drugs that do have risks associated with them, so we didn't have to sedate him," Azcona said. "It's something to comfort them, same thing keeps them engaged, entertained, and shifts their focus."
And now, it is growing beyond the state of Indiana. Over 1,000 Blue Bags have been shipped out nationwide and even some are going to Canada, bringing much needed awareness to first responders and beyond.
"I had school bus drivers asking, you know, for that drive, the special needs bus having a Ben's Blue Bags. And it's what's really surprised me, is it's grown to secondary responders and anyone that works around children with special needs," Kodicek said.
Kodicek says the hope is to have state legislation passed so more bags could be distributed and those it helps can be better served.
"Somebody on the spectrum is not ill or broken or anything. They just have a different way they perceive the world," Kodicek said.