Students with Intellectual Disabilities Shine in New Leadership Opportunities

Michael Reisman • March 25, 2024

College of Adaptive Arts Showcases Several Student Standouts in Honor of National Disability Awareness Month

(Saratoga, Calif., March 3, 2024) The month of March marks National Developmental Disability Awareness Month, and several students at one Bay Area college are proving that their abilities extend way beyond just the classroom.


The College of Adaptive Arts, a non-profit providing a lifelong collegiate education to adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD), serves 230 students in person and online, many of whom have been diagnosed with I/DD.


The school has recently introduced a new workforce development program which trains its students into paid apprenticeship positions, including receptionist and teacher’s aide. Two of those apprentices, Victoria Rivera and Sam Headley, both say this is giving them new opportunities which they never had before.


“Working gives me a sense of duty and responsibility,” said Sam. “I hope to continue to grow and maybe teach at the college someday.”


Sam has been a student at CAA since 2020 previously worked as a bagger at Lucky’s. While he enjoyed his job there, he said it was more focused on what his body could do as opposed to his mind.


Although he’s a self-described introvert, he still got up in front of a packed house to give the Pledge of Allegiance at Santa Clara County Supervisor Susan Ellenberg’s last State of the County Address.


And it’s not just the apprentices who have been given incredible new leadership opportunities. Student Michael Oduma is has a dream to become a sports announcer one day and because of CAA’s unique partnership with West Valley College, he was able to make this dream a reality by co-announcing a basketball game for the college. Oduma is known as the “Mayor of CAA”, is their official tour guide and was also an emcee for a CAA press conference with Senator Dave Cortese (D-San Jose).


“I like being a leader and getting to use my voice,” said Oduma.


Brighid Kohl is another student who showed incredible initiative and campaigned for a You Are Not Alone (YANA) club to be created at her school. Even though her disability sometimes can affect her speech, that didn’t stop Brighid from learning how to create a PowerPoint plan, presenting it to the school, and eventually gaining national recognition from influencer and popular YouTuber Jessii Vee.


“All our students are challenging the traditional perception of ability,” said DeAnna Pursai, co-founder and Executive Director of College of Adaptive Arts. “So often adults with disabilities are overlooked and not seen as the thoughtful, intelligent, capable, beings that they are.”


In all 50 states, adults with disabilities are mandated out of post secondary education at 21 or 22, but CAA hopes to change that by offering a program of lifelong learning which doesn’t impose age limits or restrictions on students. In fact, the school actually encourages students to re-enroll even after they have graduated.


According to the CDC, 6.5 million people in the United States have intellectual or developmental disabilities. CAA’s goal is to reach any adult within that population who wants to pursue higher education. Their mission is to be able to expand their collegiate model, replicating it on every campus of higher learning across the country, and eventually, the world.


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/

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.

Where the System Ends, CAA Begins. We Built the College We Couldn't Find. Story #3: ED Nicole & her son Said

By Nicole Kim • March 9, 2026
When my son, Saïd, was born, we discovered he had Down syndrome. I was 21 years old at the time, and I hadn’t done prenatal testing because it was considered a “low-risk” pregnancy. Suddenly I found myself sitting in doctors’ offices and hearing professionals describe what they believed his future would look like. “He may never learn to read.” “His learning will likely plateau around age four.” “It’s unlikely he will live an independent life.” Those are frightening things to say to a young mother. Thankfully, I didn’t believe them. Instead, I chose to raise my son with the expectation that he would learn , would grow , and would live as full a life as he was capable of living . And he did. When the College of Adaptive Arts started in 2009, Saïd was 19—just the right age for college. We became part of the CAA community and never left. He took classes, performed in the community, and truly blossomed as a young man. Along the way he discovered that he loves theater. He also loves to sing. Don’t give him a microphone—you may never get it back. 🙂 Today, at 35 years old, Saïd lives with a roommate and a caregiving couple. He has a vibrant, joyful, independent life. And he still loves taking classes every semester. My own journey with CAA has been equally meaningful. For most of those years, I was a parent in the community. I soon joined the Board and became a professor. I taught classes like Speaking with Confidence and Joy of Baking , and eventually stepped into the role of Executive Director. But the belief that first guided me as a young mother has never changed. The belief I had in Saïd’s ability to learn, grow, and build a meaningful life is the same belief I hold for every student who walks through the doors of the College of Adaptive Arts. And something remarkable happens when you lead with that belief. Students rise to meet it. When we expect growth, they grow. When we expect contribution, they contribute. When we expect full lives, they build them. At CAA, we don’t define our students by limitations. We define them by possibility. And every semester, they remind us that possibility is far greater than anyone once imagined. -- Nicole Kim Executive Director College of Adaptive Arts

Where the System Ends, CAA Begins. We Built the College We Couldn't Find. CAA Story #2: Dr. Pamela Lindsay

By DeAnna Pursai • March 2, 2026
The Ties That Bind

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