Adaptive Design Made to Learn Program

The collaboration between District 75 and the Adaptive Design Association Inc. is designed to teach students how to fabricate adaptive equipment. Students are provided with opportunities to participate in school-based career training programs in which they learn the skills needed to produce several adaptive products used by students at other District 75 schools.

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The Collaboration

Special educators partner with school administrators, teaching aids, transition coordinators and school therapists to design a classroom setting and identify participating students. Adaptive Design Association provides initial training for teachers and aids in adaptive design and cardboard carpentry at the Adaptive Design Workshop. Through the school year teachers and students visit Adaptive Design workshop weekly to experience a real work environment, to refine and learn new skills and to partner with the Adaptive Design fabrication staff to make custom adaptive pieces for classmates. 

 

Other Program Partners​

The curriculum includes building skills in cardboard carpentry through the fabrication of cat scratch boxes. We coordinate with our friends at Partnerships for Animal Shelters NYC to arrange a field trip where students and teachers deliver the boxes and meet the cats. Painting and finishing is the final step before a piece of equipment is delivered. Our friends at Alpha Workshops provide fine faux finishing workshops for our partnership students and teachers.