DAYTON, Ohio — Coming to the realization that you can’t do something because of the way you walk, talk, learn or because you need extra help is often not an easy thing to accept or understand.

For children with disabilities, not being able to run around like other kids or feeling excluded at parties and playdates can be heartbreaking.

However, one Ohio mom is proving that everyone is capable of having fun when given a space to shine.

Lindsey and Cory Gabriel are mom and dad to twins Cooper and Conrad.

“They were born at 34 weeks premature, and we found out that Conrad has a diagnosis of spina bifida,” said Lindsey.

For almost all of Conrad’s life, it’s been a series of hospital stays, surgeries and therapies. 

These days indoor play spaces are a go-to for kids and parents, especially during Midwest winters. But for the Gabriels, it wasn’t really possible.

“Finding somewhere where both of them could go just as they are, it was a big challenge,” she said.

One year ago she took matters into her own hands to open the Dayton-area play space called Capabilities.

It’s a place for kids of all abilities. Sensory, specialty and ADA-friendly equipment is mixed in with standard equipment to let kids play side-by-side.

For many, it’s the first time they’ve played with another child who experiences the world a little differently. 

“When you take out social pressures and adult influence, most of these times, kids will play with kids,” Lindsey said.

With her background in nursing, she always had an urge to help people, but she never thought she’d be doing this.

The more she became involved in the disability community and hearing stories and experiences, the more she wanted to help.

“I feel like I kind of tapped into an unknown calling that I had and especially with trying to represent kids with disabilities and become an inclusive space for my own child let alone all the kids like him, really is the fuel that burns the fire for Capabilities,” she said.

Inside, you’ll find wide hallways and doors, swings with a higher weight limit and changing tables.

“They come here and feel safe. They feel like they’re not judged for having children with differences that may stim or need mobility aids, things that would get them stared at at other places. They feel comfortable here so that’s huge for us,” Lindsey said.

“Super proud of what mostly my wife, but we as a family have been able to do to make this place a reality and what it means to so many people. It’s amazing,” Cory said.

Every time the twins play at Capabilities with their friends it’s special, but last Saturday night called for a little something extra.

In the back, a room decked out with dinosaur decor sets the scene for a very special fourth birthday party.

“She’s got kids coming from everywhere. I am so proud of her and she’s got her hands full with her own twins, but she absolutely loves the kids here,” said Grandmother Krista Reed.

Lindsey loves the kids, but also the disability community as a whole.

Some nights, the facility is open for adult classes. 

While a child “pays” to play, therapists and caregivers can come for free and work with the child on the equipment.

“These kids work twice, three times, four times harder to accommodate the outside world and to meet goals that otherwise kids breeze right through. They work so hard every day and they should have places to go where they just feel comfortable and not work so hard to fit in,” she said.

Recently, Capabilities won a "Best of Dayton 2024" award for best indoor play area.

Along with regular play hours, they also offer space for birthday parties like Cooper and Conrad’s, and they host a variety of events like cooking classes.