The need for custom-made equipment is enormous but adaptive design services are rare, so most children with disabilities go without such equipment. To narrow the gap between need and response, ADA advocates a broad-based expansion of adaptive design services and education in schools, hospitals and communities.

After surveying the 23 accredited Occupational and Physical Therapy (OT, PT) Master's degree programs in the New York region, ADA has found that most university programs do not offer significant training in adaptive design. ADA encourages universities to integrate hands-on design and fabrication throughout their professional preparation curricula.

Over the last three years, ADA has provided two-day fieldwork experiences to 15 OT students from Columbia University. Professors from New York University, LaGuardia Community College, and Husson College (Bangor, ME) have expressed interest in establishing relationships to facilitate fieldwork placements in ADA’s workshop and guest lectures by ADA staff. The organization is also working with Hunter and Bank Street Colleges to explore the feasibility of integrating adaptive design in their professional education programs.

ADA collaborates with the NYC Department of Education, NYC Early Intervention Program, and local preschools described in “Equipment Development.” In addition:

• ADA collaborates with the Assistive Device Center at the Perkins School for the Blind to develop curricula for training in adaptive design.
• ADA works with RSVP (Retired Seniors Volunteer Program) to recruit community volunteers.