The mission of the Adaptive Design Association (ADA) is to engage families, schools, and communities in the process of designing and building child-specific adaptive equipment. The goal of this collaborative effort is to make certain that children with disabilities get the devices and modifications they need to achieve their full developmental, social, and academic potential.
ADA envisions a day when adaptive design services are widely recognized as an indispensable resource for children and all people with disabilities; and customized equipment is being produced quickly, affordably, and locally.
Since its creation in 2001, ADA has trained over 1200 therapists, teachers, and parents in adaptive design techniques, and has created over 3000 pieces of adaptive equipment for children with disabilities. The founding of ADA was driven by two compelling observations:
The Adaptive Design Association believes that no one should go without customized equipment. Whether the equipment is a stroller seat insert for an infant with cerebral palsy, an adapted toothbrush handle for a woman with paralyzed hands, or a tactile communication board for an adolescent who is deaf-blind, the benefits are abundant for the recipient and the team of individuals who create, design, and build the equipment.
Assistive Technology is redefining what is possible for children and adults with disabilities. In the home, the classroom, the workplace, and the community, assistive technology is providing creative solutions that enable individuals with disabilities to be more independent, productive, and integrated into the mainstream of society and community life. Adaptive equipment can be simple or complex. It includes adapted clothing, toys, computers, seating systems, powered mobility, augmentative communication devices, special switches, and thousands of other adapted items. These solutions enhance an individual’s ability to learn, compete, work, and interact with family and friends.
ADA envisions a day when adaptive design services are widely recognized as an indispensable resource for children and all people with disabilities; and customized equipment is being produced quickly, affordably, and locally.
Since its creation in 2001, ADA has trained over 1200 therapists, teachers, and parents in adaptive design techniques, and has created over 3000 pieces of adaptive equipment for children with disabilities. The founding of ADA was driven by two compelling observations:
- Children with disabilities need more equipment than they are getting.
- Teachers, therapists, and parents can learn to build innovative and therapeutically appropriate adaptive equipment
The Adaptive Design Association believes that no one should go without customized equipment. Whether the equipment is a stroller seat insert for an infant with cerebral palsy, an adapted toothbrush handle for a woman with paralyzed hands, or a tactile communication board for an adolescent who is deaf-blind, the benefits are abundant for the recipient and the team of individuals who create, design, and build the equipment.
Assistive Technology is redefining what is possible for children and adults with disabilities. In the home, the classroom, the workplace, and the community, assistive technology is providing creative solutions that enable individuals with disabilities to be more independent, productive, and integrated into the mainstream of society and community life. Adaptive equipment can be simple or complex. It includes adapted clothing, toys, computers, seating systems, powered mobility, augmentative communication devices, special switches, and thousands of other adapted items. These solutions enhance an individual’s ability to learn, compete, work, and interact with family and friends.
