Artists and Work

About the Association

The Adaptive Design Association (ADA) provides custom designs for people with disabilities through a collaborative process of creating assistive aids. Every item is fabricated in-house and offered free of charge through donations and grants.

ADA co-creates with clients, caregivers, educators, and therapists to meet needs often unmet by mass-produced solutions—or as immediate, creative responses when devices are unavailable, delayed, or denied by insurance. Personalized, timely intervention is integral to ADA’s care-based bespoke design services.

ADA integrates universal design principles into education and training programs that equip others to co-create assistive devices. Using accessible materials like cardboard and open-source 3D printing, ADA’s design practice empowers individuals and communities anywhere to reimagine what care and accessibility can look like in response to local healthcare systems.

When we design alongside lived experience, assistive tools naturally evolve beyond the one-size-fits-most approach, becoming a holistic practice that embodies care in function, process, intention, and form.

Artist Statements

Tamara Morgan, Community Partnerships Coordinator, Adaptive Design Association Inc.

“I was first connected to ADA when I needed a light for my wheelchair as an undergrad student at Hunter in 2006. As someone who uses a power wheelchair and is three-foot-two, traveling safely and being visible in a city like NYC was a real challenge. ADA met my request so thoughtfully and practically—the experience stayed with me. 

As I built my career in creative art therapy, I realized how vital adaptive design is to the total well-being of people with disabilities. It wasn’t just about equipment or tools—it was about dignity, independence, opportunity, and building belonging. I wanted to be a part making that kind of support and possibility available to more people in the community.

ADA represents what’s possible when creativity meets necessity and we design with empathy and purpose. ADA is a community where people of all abilities are seen, heard, and supported.”

Adam El-Sawaf, Senior Adaptive Designer and Fabricator, Adaptive Design Association Inc.

“My design practice centers on creating thoughtful, accessible solutions for often overlooked problems—especially in spaces where care, education, and equity intersect. My academic focus on creating medical support devices informed my commitment to design as a tool for social good. 

I utilize techniques that span different mediums, including cardboard carpentry, digital fabrication, and woodworking, to produce inclusive, low-barrier tools. As a firm believer in empowering others to create for themselves and/or those they support, I view my work leading workshops that emphasize creativity, adaptability, and access as an extension of my design practice. 

I believe design at its best should not only be a means to solve problems, but also a platform for inviting others into the process—encouraging shared authorship, empathy, and long-term impact.”

Eric Gottshall, Fine Arts ’15; Adaptive Designer and Fabricator, Adaptive Design Association Inc.

“My work investigates the individual’s autonomy within space, offering a critical lens on who controls the speculative gaze, how speculation is derived, and to whom it is applied. Analyzing spaces and objects for their potential to sustain equity, I use varied metrics to identify their existing benefits or shortcomings for future extrapolation, by way of participatory prototyping in both conceptual and physical modes. 

My product design confronts expertise, exposing the benefits and complications that result from user participation, and inherently criticizing top-down systems. In parallel, my digital publications and video works shed light on racial, gender, and class inequities present in spaces and institutional frameworks. I maintain a productive dialogue between the research-driven nature of my digital publications, and the haptic nature of my spatial product design.”

Biographies

Tamara Morgan, Community Partnerships Coordinator, Adaptive Design Association Inc.

Tamara Morgan holds a Master’s Degree in creative art therapy from New York University and was one of the first women with Osteogenesis Imperfecta Type 3 to hike Mount Kilimanjaro, in August 2025.

At ADA, Morgan supports children with disabilities and their families through advocacy, public speaking, and community outreach, while overseeing all community-building initiatives.

Morgan sits on the boards of Philanthropy Leaders, Southern California University of Health Sciences, and the Museum, Arts and Culture Access Consortium.

Adam El-Sawaf, Senior Adaptive Designer and Fabricator, Adaptive Design Association Inc.

Adam El-Sawaf joined ADA in 2016, after a 6-month internship, upon completing his BFA in industrial design. Both his junior and senior theses centered around medical support devices, and he was eager to continue developing his practice of creating thoughtfully designed solutions for often overlooked problems. 

As a proficient fabricator, specializing in cardboard carpentry, CAD, and 3D printing, El-Sawaf promotes access, equity, and inclusion through ADA workshops for parents, teachers, and professionals.

Eric Gottshall, Adaptive Designer and Fabricator, Adaptive Design Association Inc.

Eric Gottshall is an alumnus of FIT’s Fine Arts program, who specialized in sculpture. Since 2021, his work as a designer and fabricator at ADA has allowed him to investigate one’s autonomy within space, continuously working with clients to find new spatial intervention methods. It’s this critical dialogue between Gottshall, the client, and the needed adaptation that drives his constant thirst for innovation. Gottshall is a recurring adjunct faculty member at Rutgers University, where he earned his MFA in design.

Elaine Young, Board Member, Adaptive Design Association Inc.

Elaine Young is an ADA board member and committee chair of events and collaborations. Her focus is curating ADA’s archive to reframe and amplify ADA’s design ethos within contemporary conversations about what it means to “design with care” when designing for and with people with disabilities. Her background in bioethics, medical anthropology, manufacturing, art, and design inform her critical approach to presenting ADA’s story as health justice. Young launched CARExDESIGN and ADA’s MAGNADAPTxSTUDIOPHORIA at NYCxDESIGN 2025.

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byACRE was founded in Copenhagen, Scandinavia’s design hub, with a mission to break down the stigma related to reduced mobility and to help those it serves maintain an active lifestyle without compromise. The firm designs mobility aids for people, not patients.

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Artist Statement

This Close To Me bag is the result of a competition, sponsored by Eve Xanthopoulos, that challenged students to design a functional, stylish bag that supports the daily needs of individuals who use wheelchairs. The goal was to create a piece that promotes independence, offering easy access, secure attachment, durability, and protection against the elements, while reflecting thoughtful, user-centered design.

Creating this bag has deepened my understanding of craftsmanship and the nuances of functional, meaningful design. It has reinforced my commitment to accessibility and sustainability, inspiring me to approach future projects with a greater focus on inclusivity and thoughtful, user-centered solutions.

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Teams and Projects

Creating learning environments for kids on the color blind spectrum

Brilliant Buddies
Caralyn Pelini, Valeria Arvelo, Emily Moelis, Vasiliki Malatos

Chromacity
Ofir Lapid, Meghan Barnes, Yuron Tang, Aimee Trino

Mind+Motion Academy
Amalia Quiles, Tina Halada, Nolan Parrish

Mini-Makers Studio
Giavanna Tiesi, Danielle Setta, Lucas Nealon

Vibrant Visionaries
Carla Smith, Paola Gonzalez, Angel Ortiz, Julissa Lopez

The Collor Collective
Matthew Drago, Daubrusha Liberow, Brittany Sharkey, Ellen Woodcock

About the Project

In the spring 2025 section of Design Technology IV, the students were challenged to design and fabricate a unique chair for their client. This custom piece was meant to integrate into the furniture layout of a space in the client’s home or office, and would also need to incorporate some principles of “adaptive design.” We worked as a group to unpack exactly what this meant, both in the industry and in the context of our project. We found that while a piece of furniture is an incredibly personal and specialized object, it should still be designed with inclusivity and sustainability in mind by accommodating a broad range of body types and possible uses. In the case of our project, the chair was custom suited to a particular individual, but could perhaps still be designed to serve multiple and unexpected purposes.

Biography

Jake J Brotter is an architect and educator with decades of experience in the design and construction industry. In 2024, he established a full-service architectural, interior design, and planning practice in NYC. Serving a wide variety of clientele, Brotter aims to deliver spaces that promote health, comfort, and well-being through thoughtful, meticulous design with an emphasis on sustainable materials and practices. This approach arises from the firm belief that all humans deserve a livable planet and healthy, inclusive space.

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About the Project

The work in this class explored adaptive design not simply as a technical solution but as a poetic, personal, and cultural practice. Across projects—from chairs that grow with plants, to garments that become furniture, to spaces that respond to sound and sweetness—students reimagined adaptability as a dialogue between object and user, between material and memory. Each piece challenged fixed definitions of furniture by inviting sensory engagement, emotional resonance, and transformation over time. Adaptive design here becomes expansive: it is about listening, evolving, and creating spaces that respond to who we are—and who we are becoming.

Biography

Komal Kehar is a New York-based designer and researcher whose work bridges architecture, cultural criticism, and object storytelling. She is the founder of Mira Projects, an interior design and construction management studio specializing in evocative spaces for clients including Aesop, Thom Browne, Estée Lauder, and Design Miami. Her projects span retail, hospitality, exhibitions, and public installations, with a focus on narrative, material culture, and visitor experience.

Kehar holds a Master of Architecture from Parsons and an MA in design research, writing, and criticism from SVA. She has taught at Pratt Institute and FIT.

In 2023, she founded Common Things, a boutique of collectible home goods that reflect global and diasporic traditions. Whether designing immersive environments or curating everyday objects, her practice explores design as a form of cultural memory, emphasizing craftsmanship, adaptation, and the emotional intelligence of space.

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Artist Statement

Mobility in Motion: Wearable Prototypes

This ongoing project explores the intersection of mobility, garment design, and technology, with a focus on aiding recovery and accessibility. Motion Circuit is a linen lapel embroidered with conductive copper thread, serving as a working prototype for a blazer embedded with electronics to monitor arm movement during physical therapy for women recovering from breast cancer. Pleated Arms presents two sleeve prototypes, constructed with accordion and diamond pleats at the elbow, designed to enhance flexibility for seated users and expand the range of motion. The garment also uses conductive silver thread woven into the arms as a pattern. Pleated Arm Jacket Sketch captures the early concept stage, using a gestural charcoal drawing to visualize a blazer incorporating pleated joints for embedded sensors. Together, these works form part of a broader investigation into how fashion can integrate responsive technology and adaptive design, creating garments that are both functional and empowering for bodies in motion.

Biography

Grace Jun is a tenured associate professor at the University of Georgia (UGA), where she examines the intersection of disability and collaborative design processes. In this space, she researches how accessibility is created and negotiated within graphic design and fashion, spotlighting how creative making in these fields actively constructs inclusive practices. Her latest book, Fashion, Disability, and Co-design, released by Bloomsbury, offers a curated sampling of design processes inclusive of disability, and a close investigation into specific clothing applications.

Jun has held different positions in the tech industry, academia, and entrepreneurial business. This has influenced her work to be interdisciplinary, leading her to become a founding member of Open Style Lab (OSL), a national award-winning disability nonprofit. A 501(c)(3) nonprofit, Open Style Lab celebrates its 11th year, since launching at MIT as a public service project.

Jun has been asked to speak about disability and design in numerous settings around the world and has been featured in Forbes, The Washington Post, and The New York Times style section. Jun is a proud alumnus of both Parsons School of Design and RISD, where she majored in Design and Technology (MFA) and Graphic Design (BFA), respectively.

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Artist Statement

My work explores touch as a universal language, building devices that speak directly to the body through haptics. With the Wayband® and HapticNav®, we reimagined navigation for those who travel by feel, not by sight—proving technology can offer real freedom. Movement 9 takes this further, using real-time haptic feedback to guide physical therapy and movement mastery. I believe the most profound technologies are those that deepen our connection—to our bodies, to each other, and to our world. Each piece is designed as both an invitation and a proof: that through thoughtful haptic design, we can create tools that empower, heal, inform, and inspire. I welcome partners and collaborators who share a vision of building a future of embodied information and communication.

Biography

Keith Kirkland is a designer, entrepreneur, and educator. As the founder of The Haptic 9 Co. and the creator of Movement 9, Keith leverages over a decade of experience in wearables, technology and human-centered accessible design. Previously, he co-founded WearWorks (now called Haptic), where he led the development of the award-winning Wayband and HapticNav, a haptic navigation wristband and app that assisted a blind ultramarathon runner complete in the New York City Marathon.

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About the Project

This accessible industrial sewing machine was developed through a grant from FIT’s Diversity Collective, established by the Office of the President to advance inclusiveness and diversity across the campus.

Designed in collaboration with FIT students and community members who use mobility devices, the machine reflects a commitment to accessibility and equity in design education. Operated by hand rather than a foot pedal and featuring an adjustable table height to accommodate a variety of seating needs, it empowers all students to fully engage in their creative practice and studies at FIT.

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Artist Statement

OFS is proud to participate in the 2025 Adapt/Evolve Exhibition and Symposium.

Your vision inspires our purpose—to design human-centered environments that empower people. For over 80 years, we’ve upheld a tradition of quality artisanship and believe that craft and great design go hand in hand to create excellence in every detail. OFS designs furniture solutions that are purposeful and personal and respect our global impact while honoring our local roots.

Through the contribution of resources and expert speakers, this important collaboration with FIT included student mentorship in the ID 382 Design Technology IV course.

We meet diverse needs in evolving workspaces by focusing on modular solutions for shared spaces, user-centric designs, flexible configurations, and inclusive design principles. Our products offer adjustability, deeper seats, and supportive armrests, and consider the diverse needs of users with mobility challenges.

We welcome you to experience the flexibility and choice in an environment meant to adapt to your needs of the moment: a place to collaborate and build community in an open setting, or to rest and refresh in a more private one.

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Artist Statement

This project explores adaptive clothing design for children with sensory sensitivities, those who may face challenges with daily routines, emotional regulation, learning, and social interaction. At its core is “Hug Technology,” a two-part system consisting of a sensory-friendly cover (Blue Hoodie) and the CalmiCozy Vest. Together, they provide gentle, customizable compression that helps children feel grounded, calm, and in control.

The hoodie is designed with discreet slot spaces that allow the vest to be worn invisibly underneath, creating a seamless and stylish way for kids to regulate their sensory needs. Made from soft, breathable, and tagless fabrics, the design prioritizes comfort without sacrificing self-expression. The project was a finalist in FIT’s PETE Prize for Entrepreneurs, DTech Lab.

Biography

Kevin Santana is a recent Entrepreneurship graduate from the Fashion Institute of Technology, now working in venture capital, where he supports bold early-stage founders. He also advises startups on strategy, growth, and brand development. Santana is a co-founder of Comphie, an adaptive children’s wear brand designing sensory-friendly apparel for kids with SPD, ADHD, and anxiety. Comphie was recognized as a PETE Prize for Entrepreneurs finalist for its innovation and meaningful impact.

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Artist Statement

My goal in creating Slick Chicks was simple: to help people feel like themselves again. After my sister’s C-section recovery, I realized how hard it can be for someone with limited mobility to do something as basic as getting dressed. That moment changed my life. Our designs are inspired by real people and their stories—caregivers, amputees, wheelchair users, new moms, and the aging population, which is essentially all of us. We believe that fashion should meet people where they are and that everyone deserves to feel seen, respected, and confident in what they wear.

At Slick Chicks, we believe that getting dressed should be empowering, not limiting. Our adaptive intimates and apparel are designed to meet people where they are, whether navigating disabilities, recovery, or everyday challenges. From front-fastening bras to side-zip joggers and accessible underwear, our pieces blend function and style to create dignity through design. This collection showcases our bestselling inclusive styles, created in collaboration with the disability community and designed to help people feel confident, independent, and seen. Adaptive fashion should be the norm—not the exception.

Biography

Helya Mohammadian is the founder and CEO of Slick Chicks, an adaptive apparel brand focused on empowering people with disabilities through accessible design. A graduate of FIT, Mohammadian launched Slick Chicks to bring dignity and independence to getting dressed.

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Artist Statement

In this video, I’m demonstrating fashionavatars.org—a free, open-source library of over 100 diverse 3D body avatars. The goal of the project is to give designers better tools to create clothing that fits real people, not just industry standards. The avatars reflect a wide range of body types, ages, sizes, and mobility needs, and they work easily with programs like CLO3D. By using this database, designers can test fit, experiment with patterns, and design more inclusive, adaptive garments. I developed this project with support from the New York State Council on the Arts. I hope it helps others explore new ways to approach fashion design that center on real bodies and real needs.

Biography

Amy Sperber is an assistant professor at FIT with over 20 years of experience in fashion design. She holds a BFA and an MFA from FIT, where her research focuses on inclusive, adaptive garment systems using 3D scanning and parametric modeling. She integrates digital tools and accessibility into her teaching. Sperber founded fashionavatars.org and collaborates on garments that support cancer treatment. Her work bridges sustainability, inclusivity, and innovative patternmaking methods.

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About the Project

Collective Mobilities is a socially engaged, mobile art project and mutual aid action by artist Alex Strada that facilitates redistribution in support of people experiencing homelessness. At its center are Mutual Aid Mobiles, modular sculptures Strada designed in collaboration with architect Ekin Bilal to collect and distribute lightly used clothing and essentials. Throughout the duration of Adapt/Evolve, visitors are invited to donate clean, seasonal, upcycled garments, which will be redistributed through NYC-based mutual aid groups.

Collective Mobilities was originally presented at Pratt Institute’s DeKalb Gallery in winter 2025. Strada worked with students and volunteers to gather and deliver over 8,000 items to individuals living in migrant shelters. The mirrored sculptures are built to move fluidly across sidewalks and interlock in various formations. As they travel through the city, their reflective surfaces mirror the urban environment while offering a practical surface for trying on clothes. 
When displayed in the gallery, the mobiles were adorned with plants cultivated by participants in a horticultural therapy program grounded in harm reduction at Project Renewal’s Recovery Center, located at the Third Street Men’s Shelter in Manhattan. The plants were available for sale, with all proceeds going directly to support recreational activities chosen collectively by recovery program participants.

A map visualizes all 2024 NYC 311 complaints tagged with “homeless,” exposing patterns of NIMBYism, largely in the wealthiest neighborhoods with the fewest shelters. The project challenges the notion that homelessness is solely a problem to be solved by the government, instead emphasizing the shared responsibility of New Yorkers to address housing insecurity amid rampant dehumanization. By forging partnerships among students, mutual aid groups, city workers, and researchers, Collective Mobilities demonstrates the transformative potential of creative, community-driven care and alternative economies.

Biography

Alex Strada is a New York-based multimedia artist and educator working across installation, video, sound, workshops, and public practice. Her socially engaged, collaborative projects explore collectivity, civic agency, and political transformation. Since 2022, she has served as Public Artist in Residence with NYC’s Department of Homeless Services and Department of Cultural Affairs. Strada has exhibited internationally, with recent solo shows at the Queens Museum and Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, and has a forthcoming public art commission with New York’s Storefront for Art and Architecture. She teaches at Pratt Institute.

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Artist Statement

This collection explores fashion-forward, adaptive clothing designed with a variety of women's needs in mind. However, the adaptive features more specifically focus on design solutions for women dealing with chronic conditions and medical devices.

Interior pockets, cord keepers, hidden openings, and adjustability are just a few features included in these garments to meet women’s needs, while allowing them to keep things discrete. Many of the garments also offer multifunctionality, so the customer can tailor it to better suit their personal style. Aesthetics and function are given equal consideration in the design of every garment, because everyone deserves clothing that makes them feel comfortable and confident.

The inspiration and the process behind these designs have remained consistent across both collections. My main source of inspiration came from the feelings I hoped to evoke in the individual, rather than an external source. I thought about the characteristics that create confidence and power within myself. Sometimes that has come from classic silhouettes and clean lines, and other times from femininity, which both heavily influenced these designs.

My design process consisted of creating hundreds of sketches without any restrictions. From there, I narrowed them down to what I liked best, edited them to become adaptive, and asked for input from my target market. I utilized this process because creating a fashion-forward look was as important to creating a functional design. I found that going in with adaptive features in mind first often felt restrictive and limited my creativity.

Biography

Haley Schwartz is the founder of Vertige Adaptive, a fashion-forward, adaptive clothing brand for women with chronic conditions and disabilities, which was inspired by her own personal experience struggling to find clothing to conceal her heart monitor growing up. While studying Fashion Design at the Fashion Institute of Technology, she participated in and won an entrepreneurship competition. Schwartz was awarded an initial investment, which she used to launch her brand in March 2024.

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About the Project

The Autism Project at the Fashion Institute of Technology’s Toy Design Department was initiated by SUNY Distinguished Professor Judy Ellis, founding chair of the program. Developed in collaboration with the Hassenfeld Child Health Innovation Institute, the project equips students with the skills to design toys specifically tailored for children on the autism spectrum. Through direct engagement with specialists and practical observation of children on the spectrum, students create developmentally appropriate, therapeutic, and engaging toys that address sensory, social, and motor needs. These designs often incorporate tactile elements, calming features, and interactive components that encourage communication and independent play. The initiative not only enhances student understanding of inclusive design but also fosters a sense of empathy and purpose in their professional practice. The project exemplifies Ellis’ enduring legacy—pairing design excellence with social responsibility—and reflects the ongoing commitment of the department and its industry partners to improve children’s lives through purposeful play.

Biographies

Ralph Attanasia

Ralph Attanasia is a sculptor, toy designer, illustrator, and TV personality. He has been a presenter and judge for a number of competition shows for The Food Network over the past decade. He has worked as a design intern at Mattel and loves to create crazy little worlds and invite people to come into them. Attanasia graduated from FIT in 2025 with a degree in Toy Design.

Moonkyeong Kim

Moonkyeong Kim is a play-driven designer with a multidisciplinary background in toy design, 3D design, and illustration. She loves bridging physical design with emotional connections. Kim has interned at Spin Master toys, where she contributed to game ideation, concept sketching, and product pitches. She loves bringing joyful story-based ideas to life. Kim graduated from FIT in 2025 with a degree in Toy Design.

Gowoon Lee

Gowoon Lee, an artist based in NYC and Seoul, designs toys that spark imagination, support learning, and bring happiness. Beyond simple cuteness, she strives to design with sincerity and care and to create moments that stay with children throughout their lives. She has hands-on experience in the toy industry, interning with G Mason Group, a premier pet toy company. Lee graduated from FIT in 2025 with a degree in Toy Design.

Victoria McMaster

Victoria McMaster is a toymaker who is very passionate about design. She has an extensive background in both digital and traditional illustration. McMaster interned at Fetch for Pets, where she was tasked with everything from brainstorming and ideation to sketching and designing toys for furry friends. She has been collecting dolls and plush her whole life. McMaster graduated from FIT in 2025 with a degree in Toy Design.

Ren Wang

Ren Wang is a designer and illustrator based in NYC. As a child, Wang always loved to draw and design things as well as play with toys and games. Now they can combine everything they love to design toys and games! Wang graduated from FIT in 2025 with a degree in Toy Design.

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Artist Statement

Canes are mobility aids, and I need one. But these two are functional art—sculpture with a job. I designed each one for orthopedic support, and the art suggests when to select that cane as a fashion accessory.

The “Steady Horse” is a dressy prop. I take it when I’m at a function for work, on my feet all evening with no hope of finding anywhere to sit down.

But if it’s an art opening and booze is involved, I take “The Drunken Duck” to remind me not to make a fool of myself. And just in case I forget and keep drinking until the champagne tastes like carnations, the cane is embedded with an amethyst. It is a healing crystal, used for restoring mental balance and as protection against drunkenness.

Biography

Wendy Yothers is a silversmith educated in the goldsmithing colleges of Finland and Denmark, and holds a BFA from the University of Michigan. Her professional experience includes years at Tiffany & Co., custom silversmithing, and restoration for clients and museums. Yothers’ art resides in the permanent collections of the Victoria and Albert Museum, the Museum of the City of New York, The New York Yacht Club’s silver collection, the Vatican, and the 82nd Airborne Division Museum at Fort Bragg.

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