The Power of High Expectations

June 10, 2019

This month in College of Adaptive Arts 10th Anniversary of creation, we’d like to honor a very special professor this month in honor of LGBTQ Pride Month in June. Professor Jay Torres is an exceptional leader in the special needs community as well as the community at large.


College of Adaptive Arts was privileged enough to meet Jay in 2014 through a connection from the Director of the School of Dance. She visited a class one auspicious fall evening soon after we were forced to exit our original site due to a significant rent increase. The time was right for everyone to find each other, because Jay joined our staff soon afterwards. The College of Adaptive Arts’ students have blossomed, the School of Dance has blossomed, and Jay Torres has absolutely blossomed into an incredibly exceptional and exquisite human being.

Isabella Jay Torres gets a group hug from her adult students with disabilities following her Latizmo dance class at the College of Adaptive Arts in San Jose, California, on Friday, Nov. 10, 2017. Latizmo is a combination of urban hip-hop, and salsa dancing created by Torres. (Gary Reyes/ Bay Area News Group)

Jay is an individual who has faced some keen complexities in life. Having suffered significant abuse as a child, having entered into jobs to fulfill the wishes of others, and having experienced a bout of homelessness, Jay found College of Adaptive Arts. She confided later that she had never worked with special needs individuals before this time.


This turned out to be a profound blessing, because she treated her students just like any other student studying dance, with the highest expectations, constant guidance, and support, and lots of lots of repetition. She has never once felt sorry for her students, and in turn, her students pour their heart and soul out during her Latizmo classes, so hungry and eager to learn more and more complex choreography and dance moves. Finally these adults found someone who truly believes in them and does everything within her power to bring out the very best in the students.


I witnessed these expectations first-hand this past quarter on a Wednesday night during a Latizmo Dream Team touring practice. She had asked for an extra half hour of practice for the quarter to get the students ready for some wonderful touring opportunities including at the sjDANCEco dance festival and the Redwood City STEAMFest. During one of these lengthy practices, I overheard Professor Jay state, “That was o.k., but I know you can do better.” Other comments throughout the class included “You are a professional dance team, and I expect you to perform as such.” And “That was good, now do it again!”


I observed lots of lots of dedicated, exhausting, absolutely fulfilling practices. Once she came over and started conversing with me during class while the students performed the entire, intricate dance routine entirely on their own. It was absolutely magical, and I could feel the pride of the students knowing that their professor cares and believe in their abilities through and through.


Another magical moment when was the Latizmo Hip Hop Dance Troupe had the opportunity to perform at Great America one summer for Disability Awareness Day. One of her students, below, was initially considered a shy, nonverbal student who had a hard time in the beginning even coming into class, let alone speaking into a microphone. After a year of relentless dedication and support, this student spoke into the microphone to a crowded audience the 3 bedrock tenants of Latizmo, Patience, Passion, and Perseverance.


Why Jay chose a positive path forward is a truly humbling and astounding testimony of the human spirit. This professor radiates love, compassion, and the highest expectations. It is the highest honor to have her as part of the College of Adaptive Arts family of Mountain Movers. Indeed, Professor Jay has created such a rich and engaging space of opportunity and possibility to allow her students to Move Mountains once regarded as insurmountable and impossible. And it has been with sincere patience, passion, and perseverance.


Learn more about Professor Jay Torres and Latizmo Hip Hop Productions Here:

https://www.facebook.com/kqedarts/videos/1817915938281181/?v=1817915938281181


https://www.kqed.org/arts/13819076/san-jose-hip-hop-dance-class-inspires-teacher-to-reach-for-the-stars

 

Where the System Ends, CAA Begins. We Built the College We Couldnt Find. CAA Story #6: Longstanding Supporter Erin B.

By DeAnna Pursai • March 30, 2026
Longtime College of Adaptive Arts supporter and donor Erin Benford has been an integral part of the school since its inception. Erin has been a well-known realtor in the South Bay for nearly twenty years. She currently works for Christie’s International Real Estate Sereno, but prior to that she was a teacher, so she always had a passion for education. After meeting CAA co-founder DeAnna Pursai at a Silicon Valley Chamber of Commerce mixer, the two bonded over their shared similarities of being school teachers and having loved ones with disabilities. Erin’s son Joel had learning disabilities and was diagnosed with Asbergers Syndrome. He is high functioning, so he was able to work in various different jobs before eventually settling in as a valuable assistant at Erin’s real estate business. Working alongside Joel, Erin knew firsthand the importance of creating opportunities for a neurodiverse population. Aside from her family, her real estate business and philanthropy, one of Erin’s biggest passions is sewing. She is the president for the American Sewing Guild’s San Jose chapter which encompasses 5 different bay area counties. The guild is a community service organization and educational group, focusing on garment making, textile arts, quilts, machine embroidery and much more. Erin says she hopes more people will get involved and support organizations like CAA who have no federal funding. “Raindrops make oceans,” said Erin. “If everyone gave just a little, it could do so much.”

Where the System Ends, CAA Begins. We Built the College We couldn't find. CAA Story #5 Kim Rains

By DeAnna Pursai • March 23, 2026
Kimberly was born in May 1978. She was a beautiful baby but something seemed off so testing was done and it was determined that she had Down syndrome. Testing also revealed she had a heart defect with a hole between chambers and a valve that didn’t work properly. This was all new to us. She was doing well so doctors decided to wait to let her grow bigger before doing heart surgery to repair the defects. We waited about 3 years and finally had open heart surgery at Stanford Children’s Hospital. The heart surgery went well but there was scaring below the vocal cords in her air way which required a Tracheostomy Tube below her vocal cords to allow outside air to & from her lungs. The Trach tube required suctioning to remove mucus from her airway and her lungs. But as Kim grew and made friends in the neighborhood and at early intervention school she learned she loved to dance and perform for the family and for an audience. She thrived when dancing in class, when practicing and when performing. She was a regular dancer at the Alice Porter Dance Studio in San Jose. She taught us, her parents, what she could do. We never said “you can’t” or “You won’t”. I would urge parents to use positive words when speaking to their children. She learned sign language to help communicating with others and her teacher. She learned to cover her trach with her finger to force air through her vocal cords to speak out loud. When teaching Kim how to ride a two wheeled bike she had difficulty with balancing. We tried everyday for a long period of time. We eventually found a three wheeled recumbent bicycle. She could ride that bike right away, and loved it. With her medical issues, we ended up with a trip to see a specialist in Salt Lake City, Utah and several trips to Cincinnati, Ohio. Dr. John Langdon Haydon Down (1828 – 1896) was a British physician well known for his work & description of the genetic condition “Down syndrome” which he originally classified in 1862. He is also known for his work in social medicine and as a pioneer in the care of mentally disabled patients. It is too bad he didn’t have a different last name or a different way to identify the syndrome. For many of our children there is so much more “Up” and not so much “Down”. Kim joined several dance classes and used sign language for the church choir. Once we discovered College of Adaptive Arts there were several classes Kim wanted to take part in. She loved her new friends and brought several existing friends to join her in classes. She thrived in dancing, acting, practicing and learning new things. She led practice sessions at various times in several classes. The College of Adaptive Arts has been a great resource for Kimberly and for us to help and enable Kim to learn, grow and thrive in many areas. She loved to perform in public and on stage. CAA offers many types of learning scenarios and learning environments. It can be good to consider which classes are available and join those that could turn out great for your child. The sky is the limit. The College of Adaptive Arts is a lifelong learning environment. Thank you to Pam and DeAnna for your vision and for your follow-through. Thank you to all the current leaders for their work and dedication. CAA has been a blessing to us in so many ways.

Where the System Ends, CAA Begins. We Built the College We Couldn't Find. CAA Story #4: Professor Danie Weaver.

By DeAnna Pursai • March 16, 2026
Danielle Weaver was a beloved Professor, Director of the School of Communications, and Scheduling Manager at College of Adaptive Arts for the past 13 years. She was a shining light and constant source of positivity, joy, and connection at our college. Danie joined CAA’s team soon after she watched her sister perform a CAA puppet show at Abilities Expo in downtown San Jose. The smile, joy, and encouragement she gave her sister made her a natural fit to be a professor at College of Adaptive Arts. Danie started teaching classes with overflowing love and commitment to her beloved Cardinals while we were holding them all over town, without an anchor campus site. She rose quickly to the role of lead professor while helping develop a brand-new School of Communications, and then became the Director of that foundational school of study in 2015. She created one of the most impactful nights in CAA’s history – the inaugural Communications Showcase - held at the Corinthian Center in downtown San Jose. That was such a special night, spent celebrating the abilities of our students and faculty and enjoying the spoken and signed words. She graciously mentored our staff member, Professor Anthony, to take over the role of the directorship of the School of Communications when she embraced our expansion challenges, providing cornerstone contributions through additional managerial roles. Danie will be forever remembered and celebrated for her kind spirit, her acknowledgement to "Always Honor the Introverts," her calm, non-judgmental demeanor, and the grace she extended to everyone. It was almost impossible not to be put in a good mood around Professor Danie – she just radiated joy, faith, and hope. She would often say that if you walked through her classroom, you might be inserted into a poem or story with the students. We also fondly retain her passions for fantasy tales and all things Disney. We could always look forward to enjoying such themes together in shared class experiences and personal conversations. Danie was an accomplished author and poet who had published her own book back book, Catching Teardrops – a personal collection of poetry created during and about her journey with cancer just one year after her marriage. We lost her way too soon from this disease at way too early of an age. She impacted so many lives and was a true 'Mountain Mover' within her school and community. She will forever remain a beloved and cherished core member of our College of Adaptive Arts Super Staff.

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