Why We Give by John O’Farrell & Gloria Principe, Longstanding School of Theatre Underwriters

December 3, 2019

 

We have been proud College of Adaptive Arts School of Theatre Underwriters for the past 5 years. We have watched this small and mighty college grow tremendously over the years. When we first heard about this equitable collegiate experience for adults with special needs, we were amazed and impressed that a place like this existed. We were quite proud to invest in this innovative collegiate model.


We believe this is a wise investment, as we know there are so many adults out there that are yearning to be able to continue their education to become successful contributing citizens in their own right. Adults whose educational opportunities significantly decline once they are mandated out of the public school system at age 22. Adults who won’t be able to access that accredited degree on a traditional community college campus, but who are quite capable, eager, and hungry to continue learning and growing and reaching their full potential.


We are proud to watch our investment more than double during the past 5 years as College of Adaptive Arts student enrollment has grown from 45 adults in 20+ course offerings/week when we first got involved to now enrolling more than 121 students in over 53 distinct course offerings each week. We believe this team has the tipping-point abilities to take this lifelong equitable collegiate model nationwide and beyond. This team has demonstrated fiscal responsibility and creativity, using donations to grow the model over 1000% since inception.


During this period of the year we are most grateful and thankful to the hard work and dedication of the College of Adaptive Arts team. They really are Moving Mountains for adults who historically have not had access to college education, and they are empowering their student body to Transform Perception of disability more and more each day. Please join us if you can in helping this small and mighty college model reach its full potential and impact.

 

College of Adaptive Arts Co-Sponsors Accessibility Event Featuring the First Deafblind Graduate of Harvard Law

By Michael Reisman • February 10, 2025
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

College of Adaptive Arts Announces Nicole Kim as New Executive Director

By Michael Reisman • June 11, 2024
Longtime CAA Director Nicole Kim Brings New Energy, Vision, and Leadership to the Educational Nonprofit

College of Adaptive Arts Co-Founder DeAnna Pursai Added To the Human Atlas Project

By Michael Reisman • April 1, 2024
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.

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