Custom Adaptive Design for Children With Disabilities
I create custom-designed adaptive furniture concepts that explore how thoughtful design can better support children with disabilities in educational, therapeutic, and everyday environments. My work focuses on researching, designing, prototyping, and refining furniture solutions that respond to unmet or emerging needs related to mobility, posture, sensory processing, and access to learning.
Each project begins with a question: How might furniture better support a child’s participation, independence, and comfort?
Design as Exploration and Inquiry
My practice emphasizes research-driven, custom design—developing concepts, prototypes, and one-off pieces that investigate new approaches to accessibility for children with disabilities. From adjustable and reconfigurable classroom surfaces to modular seating systems and transfer-support designs for pediatric use, my work bridges design, therapy, and education.
I collaborate with occupational therapists, physical therapists, special educators, families, and individuals with lived experience to ensure designs are grounded in real needs while moving beyond standard solutions.
Accessible doesn’t mean clinical or fixed. These designs are flexible, adaptable, and intentionally open-ended—supporting iteration as children’s needs, environments, and goals change over time.
Research-Informed, Child-Centered Design
Design decisions are informed by:
ADA guidelines and pediatric therapy principles
Observations from classrooms, therapy settings, and home-based services
Input from professionals supporting IEPs and IFSPs
Iterative prototyping focused on posture, reach, sensory regulation, and access
Some projects remain conceptual, while others evolve into custom-built adaptive furniture used in educational and therapeutic settings to support children’s access and participation.
Supporting IDEA-Aligned Settings
This work supports children with disabilities across:
Early intervention and preschool programs
K–12 inclusive and special education classrooms
Pediatric therapy clinics
Home environments connected to educational or therapeutic goals
The primary focus of this practice is custom adaptive design in service of children with disabilities, with the majority of work centered on improving access, participation, and functional independence.
Contact me today to start a conversation about your furniture needs.
