One Indiana firefighter is taking meaningful steps to bring greater awareness and support to individuals on the autism spectrum, especially in emergency situations where communication and comfort are critical.
Ben’s Blue Bags are specially designed bags filled with sensory toys and tools that help first responders better treat and connect with patients on the autism spectrum. These innovative bags are filling a much-needed gap across the country by promoting inclusion and understanding in emergency response.
“They expand out and make noise,” said Ben’s Blue Bags co-founder Matt Kodicek.
At the heart of Ben’s Blue Bags is a simple concept: a few carefully selected items, a signature blue bag, and a powerful shift in how first responders engage with neurodivergent individuals. It’s about redefining what it means to be truly inclusive in times of crisis.
Kodicek shares that one key tool included in each bag is a visual map, which children can use to indicate pain or discomfort. This approach helps bridge communication gaps, allowing paramedics and firefighters to better understand and respond to a child’s needs.
“His favorite things is trains, but we have trains in my Blue Bags,” Kodicek said.
The inspiration behind the project is deeply personal. Kodicek’s 10-year-old son, Ben, who is on the autism spectrum, gave him the insight and motivation to create the bags. Each one contains items that are both familiar and comforting to children with sensory sensitivities—Rubik’s cubes, bouncing balls, and other tactile objects.
“Different fidget spinners, we do like four different colors,” Kodicek said.
These bags are not just limited to ambulances. They’re becoming a staple in fire trucks, police vehicles, and other emergency service units across the U.S.
“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.
The benefits of the bags are already being seen in real-world situations. In Crown Point, Indiana, paramedics have reported successful outcomes thanks to the tools in the bag. Firefighter and paramedic Gabriel Azcona recalls one case in which a young patient was safely calmed without the need for sedation.
“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.”
The reach of Ben’s Blue Bags has extended far beyond Indiana. To date, more than 1,000 bags have been shipped nationwide, and even across borders into Canada. The impact is spreading—not just among first responders, but also within the broader community.
Requests are now coming in from unexpected places. “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.
The success of the program is leading to new possibilities. Kodicek is hopeful that state-level legislation will help expand the reach even further, ensuring that more children with sensory needs can be supported during emergencies.
“Somebody on the spectrum is not ill or broken or anything. They just have a different way they perceive the world,” Kodicek said.
As awareness continues to grow, so does the impact of this grassroots movement. What started as a father’s effort to help his son has turned into a nationwide push for compassion, inclusion, and smarter first response. And with over a thousand bags already in circulation—each one essentially a portable toolkit for empathy—Ben’s Blue Bags are making a real difference. Among the many tools included, sensory toy bags have emerged as a simple yet powerful way to bring calm, understanding, and connection to those who need it most.
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