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Disability Advocate Haben Girma to Speak at West Valley College February 12 (Saratoga, Calif., January 22, 2025) Haben Girma, nationally recognized disability rights advocate and the first deafblind graduate of Harvard Law, will be coming to the Bay Area for a free Assistive Technology Fair which will feature a special talk, book signing, and campus tours. Girma is a Bay Area native and a human rights lawyer advancing disability justice. President Obama named her a White House Champion of Change, and the World Health Organization appointed her Commissioner of Social Connection. She has also received the Helen Keller Achievement Award, a spot on the Forbes 30 Under 30 list, and TIME100 Talks. Harnessing the power of the written word to spark advocacy, Girma wrote and published the book that became a bestseller, Haben: The Deafblind Woman Who Conquered Harvard Law. The story takes readers on adventures around the world, including her parents’ homes in Eritrea and Ethiopia, building a school under the scorching Saharan sun, training with a guide dog in New Jersey, climbing an iceberg in Alaska, fighting for blind readers at a courthouse in Vermont, and working with President Biden and President Obama at The White House. College of Adaptive Arts, a non-profit college serving over 250 adults with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD), is sponsoring the event along with West Valley College’s DESP services, David Wang Educational Endowment and EOPS in an effort to provide information and programs to those experiencing disability. “Haben Girma is a great example of how to transform perceptions of people with disabilities,” said Nicole Kim, Executive Director of College of Adaptive Arts (CAA). “Like many of our students with IDD, she’s had challenges to overcome, but being able to access higher education was instrumental to her growth and success. She is a great example of the change one person can affect if just given the opportunity.” The event is free to the public and takes place Wednesday, February 12 from 10am-2pm at West Valley College’s Campus Center at 14000 Fruitvale Avenue in Saratoga, CA. For additional information, or to RSVP, please visit www.bit.ly/wvc-atf2025
Longtime CAA Director Nicole Kim Brings New Energy, Vision, and Leadership to the Educational Nonprofit
College of Adaptive Arts co-founder DeAnna Pursai was recently selected as one of the profiles for the prestigious Human Atlas project . Human Atlas projects are research-based, interdisciplinary explorations of the people of a specified geography. They are built on an extensive nomination process from a carefully curated group. These individuals profiled are championing and driving social impact in all its forms: from public servants to entrepreneurs, from non-profit leaders and activists to artists and scientists.
College of Adaptive Arts Showcases Several Student Standouts in Honor of National Disability Awareness Month
CAA Supports Individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities to Reach Their Full Potential
(Saratoga, Calif., October 10, 2023) On Monday October 16, from 2-6pm, College of Adaptive Arts will host its 10 th annual Golf Classic at the Santa Teresa Golf Club. College of Adaptive Arts (CAA), a south bay based non-profit, is a unique institution providing collegiate education to adults with special needs. It serves more than 224 students across 9 states, the majority of whom have been diagnosed with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD). The CAA Golf Team and first Golf Classic began in 2012 when a student proposed the idea of having a CAA golf team. Since then, CAA has hosted 9 wildly successful Golf Classics, pairing a CAA student the fourth member of every team. “This is fundraiser is always one of our most anticipated annual events,” said CAA co-founder and Executive Director DeAnna Pursai. “One of our goals is to connect our students with community members in venues that typically are not associated with adults with disabilities, such as on a golf course. We are truly grateful to Santa Teresa Golf Club for hosting the Classic each year, as well as our CAA golf team. We hope lots of people will come out to show their support people of all abilities!” College of Adaptive Arts was co-founded by Dr. Pamela Lindsay and DeAnna Pursai in 2009 after both witnessing loved ones with special needs become sidelined once they exited the public-school system. The philosophy of the school is to offer lifelong learning, with no age limitations, to any adult with special needs who wants to pursue higher education. CAA’s vision is to be able to expand its innovative collegiate model, replicating it on every campus of higher learning across the country, and eventually, the world.
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College of Adaptive Arts
Swenson Flagship Campus at West Valley College
14000 Fruitvale Ave, Saratoga, CA 95070
