[gentle music] - When you're typical, you take a lot of things for granted a lot, but in a blink of an eye, just like us, we went from a total typical family to, not being a family, that's in a world of special needs.
And you don't know when it's your time.
You have no idea, until you're in it.
You don't really realize why there's playground area.
It's just so important.
- Haha, what I do.
Dad.
Hopefully a loving husband, most of the time.
Mathematics teacher at Tunstall High School North for 28 years That's teacher of the year stuff right there, 28 years, no teacher to your word, I'm getting all right, here we go.
And the co-founder of the Tom's River Field of Dreams.
Gavin Kane is our 11 year old son.
He suffered a traumatic brain injury when he was only 19 months old.
Prior to that, he was a handful.
Walked very quickly, not a big talker, but he was just willing to do anything.
And unfortunately, when that accident occurred, it took, it took his physical ability from him, but not his mental ability.
And I can't believe it's been this long already.
Cause now he's 11.
He's still that fun, willing kid, his drive, his willingness to work.
It's unmatched.
He's very similar to his mother.
In that case, he's just, he works so hard to try to be better every day.
Two, release it.
[gentle music] Due to the nature of the, of the injury.
Gavin cannot walk or, or talk.
Where does it hurt more?
The wrist part?
I work on the physical part just because he's so big.
Our goal is to get him to be able to sit correctly, seven, eight, nine.
Good job.
And then he must be able to, to walk and be able to move around his home and be able to do things that, that we take for granted.
Open up your hand.
Yeah.
Can you try to do that with lefty?
Just try.
Yeah, and it's a lot.
It's a truckload, but it's worth it because it's the only way that we know how to live.
You're thrown into this world of special needs that we had no idea about because all our children were totally typical.
And now all of a sudden you realize like, oh my gosh, there's, there's nothing out here.
But when you really think about the world of special needs, there isn't a place that you can go and not be stared at and be able to have fun.
And the most important part is to be included, to have full inclusion, that people don't really care what you look like or what you can do.
You're just there to have fun with everyone else.
And there isn't a place like this in Ocean County.
We had this playground that we built here at this home, so that no matter what your ability is, you can play, have fun.
And we noticed that the other equipment was tough because everything's narrow and he's got a wheelchair.
And then if you get the wheelchair to a spot in the playground, how do you get the wheelchair back down?
And then how do you get him positioned in either the swing or the slide?
And that was when he was only six or seven.
That's when he was tiny.
That's when we knew it was like, oh boy, we got a problem here.
There are so many people that stay at home rather than going out.
They feel that they're getting stared at.
So they stay home.
And the idea of the Field of Dreams is to give those people who have a special need, a place to go to.
And at that time, you know, I want to say four and a half years ago at that time I didn't have anything.
The only thing I had at that time was my story and the passion that how important this is and people bought it.
I knew that the money was going to be significant, especially with what we wanted to do it.
And we were having some issues in regards to paying for some equipment.
And we came up with this whole idea of this team.
Gavin, it caught on like wildfire.
I mean, we had a teen Gavin day at my high school in which I think like over, you know, 500 people were wearing teen Gavin t-shirts.
So the Field of Dreams, whatever is in your head, think five times that think baseball, think football field, think giant stadium.
That's, what's going to be like, it's not going to be like your local park down the street.
Where it has a couple of swings and stuff like that.
This is going to be a menace.
- A big task to think that, you know, one county can just simply have everything accessible.
I mean, that's impossible, but are you at least offering places for people to go?
I have tools for you, you have to use a screwdriver or a little of a scissor, just to make the hole a little bit bigger.
We're trying to redefine that definition.
That accessibility should be for everything at all times.
And you shouldn't be concerned about that.
We're still a long way away.
I mean, the number one issue for most special need caretakers.
When you go to the bathroom, there may be an issue.
See, that's, that's the thing about the Field of Dreams.
We have everything hopefully taken care of where you don't have to leave.
So if there's a bathroom issue, the caretaking can take care of their loved one.
As if they were home, we have an autistic quiet corner where parent can now deal with their child.
But then also reenter back into the activity that they were having an issue with.
You bring somebody with a power chair and all of a sudden it runs out of a battery.
Well, we have power charging stations throughout the complex.
What are the issues?
And how can we make sure people don't leave?
And you know, Ocean County it's getting better.
But we're hopefully setting the tone at the Field of Dreams of what real true accessibility and inclusion really means.
Come to our facility and we'll show you what accessibility is.
For anyone else who doesn't have a traumatic brain injury or any kind of special need or any kind of disability.
You guys take things for granted.
Brushing your teeth, getting up out of bed, turning a page of a book.
You all take it for granted.
Gavin struggles with all those things.
There isn't one thing that is easy for him because of the nature of his brain injury.
But the thing that he's able to do though, is persevere and figure out ways to do those things and things that are challenging.
He worked so hard to minimize that challenge and be able to do things like everyone else can.
Good, go crazy.
Just look at his skin.
With Gavin because of his spirit.
How do you say, oh Gav, I really don't want to do that today, Oh Gav.
I really don't feel like doing that.
That's impossible.
It's impossible to let that kid down.
You have to be high spirits and you have to go at a 100%.
Gavin has taught me that I can be better than who I am.
Clear and simple.
He makes you want to be better.
Doing therapies or playing games or the Field of Dreams.
Because he works so hard and he wants to be better.
How could you not then want to work just as hard as he can and to have that inspiration or that drive to be the best you can be.
So simple as that he's made me a better dad and a better teacher, a better person all around.
You could be a varying degree of ability and still be able to appreciate and have a great life.
Just because you have a special need, you know, and for, in our case with traumatic brain injury, it doesn't mean the game's over.
It just means it's a different game.
[gentle music]