WHO WE ARE
A note from Alex and Antoinette
January 18, 2018
As we begin our 20th year,* and the Adaptive Design Association is poised to grow into an unstoppable force for social change, we want to share the values we have shared since 1998. We hope they will guide ADA long into the future and define every project committed to maximizing human potential.
Be generous.
Everyone belongs.
Everyone can contribute.
Discrimination can't be tolerated.
Well-being depends on interdependence.
Show initiative.
Take responsibility.
Don’t wait to be asked.
Create teams.
Seek diverse viewpoints.
Think bigger.
Listen.
Be honest.
Be flexible.
Work hard.
Learn more.
Have fun.
Above all, as we have told thousands of visitors, course participants, interns, staff, Board members, funders, and volunteers, every device made at ADA must be made with love from start to finish. When it is, a custom adaptation can benefit everyone: the person who uses it, the team who imagines it, the team who designs and builds it, and everyone who hears the stories.
With love,
Alex Truesdell Antoinette LaSorsa
*We were hired two days apart in September of 1998 by WomenCare, Inc. to develop a pilot project called “Creative Constructions”. Funding was provided by the New York State Division of Probation and Correctional Alternatives. Our mission was to build custom adaptations for infants and toddlers, and offer paid internships to women transitioning from parole and probation to education and employment. In April 2001 we worked with a team of thought partners and advisors to establish the Adaptive Design Association, Inc. an independent 501(c)3 nonprofit organization. We moved to our current location in midtown Manhattan in April 2006.
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