David is a busy fifth grader. He continually teases new ideas and concepts in his head, both at home where he lives with his family on the upper eastside of Manhattan, and as a first-year middle-schooler.
Problem-solving comes naturally to David and he has learned to maximize his movements to compensate for a core, weakened by Muscular Dystrophy. ADA has been with David since he was four and a half years old, designing and building chairs helping him to sit upright, allowing him to be fully engaged in school, and able to sit comfortably at the table with his family at mealtimes.
Like most middle schoolers, David recently hit a growth spurt and asked ADA to build him a chair he could easily carry to classrooms without help.
“David was clear about what he wanted”, said Eric Gottshall, ADA’s newest designer. “He was able to articulate what was going to best help him tackle middle school and, he wanted his chair to be dark purple. I was able to create a light-weight seat that he can easily click onto any chair that provides him with support so that he can get down to business!”
On delivery day, David’s mother beamed as he quickly mastered how to use his new chair and headed down the hall, ready to hop into his math class and explore the amazing world of numbers.
At ADA, we are all about creating devices that remove barriers and help clients maximize their independence. While we can’t put a price on independence, we can provide innovative devices to support students who need a custom fit.
We would love it if you could join our community and help cover the cost of making life’s experiences accessible.
Photo Gallery
Image 1: Mom pointing out where David needs extra support on the traditional school chair.
Image 2: David testing out the fit of his custom chair insert that will remain in his homeroom class.
Image 3: David testing out his portable custom chair insert that he will take from class to class.
Image 4: David on the go in the hallway at school managing his rolling backpack and portable chair insert.
Image 5: David's Mom and the Adaptive Design Team celebrating the win of a custom fit and independence for David.