"My mind is my best asset"

DeAnna Pursai • March 11, 2024

CAA Supports Individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities to Reach Their Full Potential

“My mind is my best asset” states Sam Headley, one of CAA’s new workforce development apprentices. This statement epitomizes the work of supporting incredible adults with intellectual disabilities at @CollegeofAdaptiveArts for the past 15 years. Sam represents one of 229 lifelong learners this winter/spring semester 2024 who are so eager to learn, grow, and contribute to the community in ways they know can be so impactful for themselves and the community.


College of Adaptive Arts is immensely grateful for the national, state, regional, county and local recognition the co-founders have received over the past 2 years. From @CNNHereos, @AARPPurposePrize, @Golden State Warriors Community Impact Award, & State of CA & Santa Clara County County support, these recognitions indicate that the mountain is indeed moving to uncover & illuminate the authentic abilities of adults with intellection disabilities to transform perception and move the needle to become impactful successful contributing citizens leveraging the innate abilities, skills, talents, and passions these adults possess.


College of Adaptive Arts’ mission is to provide an equitable, lifelong collegiate experience to adults with disabilities who historically have not had access to college education. The vision is to partner with every campus of higher learning around the world to build a global infrastructure of lifelong learning collegiate opportunities for adults who have been historically sidelined after high school.

 

College of Adaptive Arts provides a win-win-win-win-win-win model for the community.


Win#1: the Students. Adults with special needs get the opportunity to choose from one of 72 course offerings from 10 distinct schools of student at the college around their interests and passions. No tests, no papers to write, homework is optional. They receive diplomas just like they watch their siblings/cousins/friends achieve. After they graduate, they are welcome to re-enroll for strive for another degree as long as they have an interest.


Win#2: the Professors. College of Adaptive Arts recruits individuals of all abilities to be the professors of the college. No formal education or teaching certification required. If you have a trade/skill you would like to teach, and you treat the CAA college students with respect and integrity, you are eligible to be a professor of this college.


Win#3: the Apprentices. CAA has recently received funds to cultivate workforce development opportunities building workforce paths that are non-routine in focus, accentuating and aligning with their intellectual pursuits and aspirations. The initial workforce apprentices are training to be classroom assistants, event planners, marketing team supporters, graphic designers, accessibility quality control supporters, and tour guide ambassadors. Future workforce paths including training adults to be musicians, sign language assistants, social media support specialists, stage actors and actresses, tech support assistants, sports announcer assistants, and radio/DJ support techs. 

 

Win#4: The Volunteers. College of Adaptive Arts is located in the heart of the beautiful campus of West Valley College, thanks to the visionary leadership of @Chancellor Bradley Davis and his incredible and forward-thinking Board of Trustees and faculty. West Valley College and other local universities such as @SanJoseState & @SantaClaraUniversity provide amazing .edu student volunteers who can receive 501c3 volunteer hours for their participation and peer learners & coaches in the College of Adaptive Arts classes.


Win#5: The Parents and Care providers. Being a parent to a child with a disability is one o the hardest and most arduous roles one can ever experience. There are many support services for children with special needs. At age 22, the terrain of services substantially shifts in all 50 states when students are mandated out of the public school system at age 22. The options for continued learning are dramatically reduced if adults are not able to access an Associate's Degree at a community college. This model provides relief, hope, and amazement of how adults are continued to be engaged, to learn, to grow, and to blossom and realize their full potential.


Win#6: The community. CAA takes performers and ambassadors all over the community to engage, transform perception, and foster inclusivity and connectedness. One patron remarked, “I felt so alive when watching (the CAA dancers) perform at a local venue. CAA cheerleaders cheer at events; the children’s music touring ensemble performs for preschools and local elementary schools; the adaptive guitar and concert choir troupes perform at CAA’s annual graduation ceremony. The CAA golfers golf in a community golf tournament whereby one community golfer commented, "That is the best day I've had in such a long time - I really needed that!"


We invite you to take a student-led tour to experience this innovative and vibrant college model for yourself. College of Adaptive Arts is 15 years strong in 2024, and we vow to keep going until we’ve established an #InclusiveCollegiatePartnership with every campus of higher learning around the world. Please share, comment, and reach out to us. We want to hear from you! info@collegeofadaptivearts.org: Take a tour (student-led tours each Friday college is in session); 1pm PST online; 2:30pm in-person at @WestValleyCollege.


Where the System Ends, CAA Begins. We Built the College We Couldn't Find. CAA Story #7 Curtis K.

By DeAnna Pursai • April 6, 2026
When Curtis Kitaji was first born, his family was told that he wouldn’t be able to speak. Fast forward many years later, and Curtis is one of the most prominent performers you’ll meet. In fact, his dream is actually to become an actor one day. Curtis takes acting and songwriting classes at CAA and recently was one of the emcees at the Celebration of Inclusive Partnerships Gala, where he received rave reviews. “Being at CAA has helped me come out of my shell,” Curtis said. “I love being on campus and being here with my friends.” CAA’s model for lifelong learning was highly beneficial for Curtis. He attended two other colleges before CAA but had trouble keeping up with the required pace and workload. There have been so many great memories Curtis said he had experienced as a student, and he remembers fondly when his acting teacher showed up to class dressed as a chicken for no reason. Curtis was a participant of CAA’s Cardinal Apprenticeship Program and has learned many new skills, both in class and in his on the job training, that will help him later as he explores new career opportunities. Curtis is a South Bay native and loves participating in various sports. He is part of the Special Olympics bowling team and also an integral part of the CAA golf team. When Curtis isn’t in class at CAA, he enjoys hanging out at the mall with his friends or listening to his favorite band, Pentatonix.

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.

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