College of Adaptive Arts Announces Nicole Kim as New Executive Director

Michael Reisman • June 11, 2024

Longtime CAA Director Nicole Kim Brings New Energy, Vision, and Leadership to the Educational Nonprofit

(Saratoga, Calif., June 15, 2024) Nicole Kim, the longtime professor and current director of College of Adaptive Arts’ School of Business, has been selected to take over at the helm as the organization’s new Executive Director.

DeAnna Pursai, the school’s co-founder and current Executive Director, will stay onboard and pivot into her new role as the College of Adaptive Arts’ Director of Development and Community Outreach.

For the past 15 years, Nicole has been a passionate educator at the College of Adaptive Arts (CAA). She empowers adults with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities(IDD) through courses like "Speaking with Confidence", "Joy of Baking," and “Intro to Employment Skills” demonstrating her commitment to inclusive education.

Nicole has been with CAA since its inception and was one of the school’s original Board Chairs.

Prior to coming to CAA, Nicole was a distinguished operations professional with over 25 years of experience in program management and operations. She held several leadership roles at top-tier tech companies such as PayPal, eBay, Indeed, Instagram, and Cigna Healthcare.

Nicole's transition from the tech industry to her new role as Executive Director at CAA underscores her dedication to supporting the organization's mission. She is focused on creating an equitable and lifelong collegiate experience for individuals with disabilities. Her leadership style, characterized by empathy and a deep appreciation for every individual's contribution, continues to drive the success of her teams.

Nicole’s appointment as Executive Director marks an exciting new chapter for the College of Adaptive Arts, promising innovative leadership and a steadfast commitment to the community it serves.

"I am incredibly honored and excited to join the leadership team at the College of Adaptive Arts,” said Nicole. “This opportunity allows me to combine my professional expertise with my passion for inclusive education. I look forward to working with such a dedicated team to create meaningful and enriching experiences for our students, ensuring that every individual can thrive and achieve their fullest potential."

College of Adaptive Arts is a non-profit which serves more than 225 adults with I/DD across 9 different states. The school provides collegiate education for adults with IDD who have been sidelined from traditional post-secondary special education. CAA offers a mix of online learning and in-person classes, which take place on the campus of West Valley College in Saratoga, CA, and it boasts 10 different schools of instruction in things like Digital Media Studies, Communication, Business, and Visual Arts.

The vision of the College of Adaptive Arts is to be able to replicate its innovative educational model on college campuses across the world so that any adult with IDD has access to higher education, wherever and whenever they want.

ABOUT THE COLLEGE OF ADAPTIVE ARTS:

College of Adaptive Arts is a 501 (c) 3 non-profit organization dedicated to providing a lifelong, equitable collegiate experience to adults with special needs who historically have not had access to college education. The vision of CAA is to empower adults with special needs to creatively transform perception of disability. This is an institution of higher education where adults have opportunities to learn from a diverse and rich curriculum that will enable them to live a full and empowered life as successful, contributing members of the community. For more information, or to volunteer and/or donate visit https://www.collegeofadaptivearts.org/

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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 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.