Adaptive Design Hudson Valley

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Kingston, NY
Adaptive Design Hudson Valley

Building durable, custom accessibility devices out of cardboard to change lives! Diversity creating accessibility, locally in the Hudson Valley.

03/25/2026

An occupational therapist at Anderson Center for Autism recently requested a set of weighted boxes to support sensory and regulation activities.
Weighted boxes are often used in “heavy work” activities, where lifting, carrying, pushing, or pulling weight provides deep pressure input. These activities can help improve focus, body awareness, emotional regulation, and sensory processing, particularly for individuals on the autism spectrum.
We thought this would be the perfect project for our regular group of participants from Anderson’s Day Habilitation program who come to our shop to learn, collaborate, and build adaptive equipment alongside our instructors.
By helping construct the weighted boxes that will be used within their own community, the project becomes a full-circle experience of contribution. It strengthens social-emotional learning for the builders while helping recipients understand the care and effort that went into the process.
Here is Ed heading out of the shop with the weighted boxes that he helped to build — ready to be used back at Anderson.

03/24/2026

A reminder that small adaptations can make a big difference in access and independence.
Recently we delivered a custom wheelchair tray table to Mackenzie, a high school student who was having difficulty accessing her schoolwork at her desk. At Adaptive Design Hudson Valley, every device we make is customized for the individual and provided free of charge. We designed this specifically to fit the dimensions of her wheelchair, accommodate her water bottle, and match her preferred aesthetic.
Thank you to Mackenzie’s teacher and physical therapist who collaborated with us to help determine how we could best support her learning in the classroom.

03/20/2026

Our winter newsletter is live on our website! Take a look at what we’ve been up to over the past few months — from professional development workshops and continuing education courses to student fieldwork and community partnerships. We’re grateful for all the people, programs, and collaborators who help make this work possible.

To learn about how adaptive design continues to grow in our community and what we’re looking forward to next: visit our website to read the full newsletter!

03/19/2026

Last night we had a great time connecting with our community at the Good Neighbor Quarterly Zine Launch .

Thank you to the team behind for inviting Adaptive Design Hudson Valley to be part of the evening and for featuring our work in this edition of the zine. We’re grateful for the opportunity to share what we do and to meet so many thoughtful community members who stopped by to learn more.

Good Neighbor is a cooperative publication celebrating arts, culture, and community events in Kingston. Through their digital newsletter, monthly print zine, and in-person events, they connect the people, places, and moments that shape our city. If you’re interested in discovering more about what’s happening in Kingston we encourage you to check them out!

03/18/2026

We’ll be out in the community tonight!
Stop by and see us at the Zine Launch Quarterly Debut at Rough Draft Bar & Books from 5–8 PM.

Come say hello, learn a little about what we do at Adaptive Design Hudson Valley, and check out the debut of this new local zine celebrating community voices. We always love connecting with neighbors and sharing the work happening in our shop.

Hope to see you there!

03/09/2026

We are excited to announce our next Continuing Education course for occupational therapy practitioners.
Adaptive Design in Practice: Cardboard Fabrication for Real-World Solutions is a hands-on workshop where participants learn how to design and fabricate custom assistive devices using cardboard.
Participants will explore mock client assessment, collaborative problem solving, cardboard carpentry techniques, and complete a full device build during the session.

Register here:
https://adaptivedesignhv.org/ceu

Course Details
Saturday, April 18
10:00 AM – 2:00 PM
Inclement Weather Date: April 25
Location: Adaptive Design Hudson Valley Shop
32 Cedar Street, Kingston, NY
Participants will receive 4 CEU credits.
Cost: $160
Space is limited and registration is first come, first served. Please visit our website to register.
If you are an OT or OTA, we encourage you to share this opportunity within your professional circles.

03/03/2026

Last week we welcomed Matt to the shop from the Center for Discovery.

Matt is a biomedical engineer who works in their fabrication shop creating adaptive equipment for residents who live on campus. He came to ADHV to learn more about building a cardboard stander for one of the individuals he supports.

Matt arrived with measurements, design requirements, and thoughtful questions. Together we worked through the steps of our fabrication process, shared techniques, and helped him begin constructing the device. By the end of the day he was able to bring the nearly completed stander back to continue the work with his client.

We value opportunities like this to exchange ideas and keep adaptive design knowledge open and collaborative. The more people building and sharing solutions, the more access we create.

02/25/2026

This past Saturday we hosted an in-person, hands-on continuing education course for occupational therapists at our Kingston shop. Occupational therapists in New York are required to complete 36 hours of AOTA-approved continuing education every three years. We are proud to offer a course that is hands on, collaborative, and rooted in real-world problem solving.

Participants moved through mock assessments, design planning, tool safety, cardboard carpentry, and device fabrication. The challenge of the day? Designing a solution so Betty Lou, our child-sized model with low tone, could safely participate in building at the chompsaw. By the end of the session, the group had created a custom stander that fully supported her upright positioning, freeing her hands to work independently.

Therapists left with new fabrication skills, fresh perspective on low-tech solutions, and the confidence to build in the future.
We plan to host our next CEU course at the end of April. Stay tuned for the date announcement.

02/24/2026

Gabby is a student at a local elementary school with a big goal: to walk again.

In collaboration with Gabby, her 1:1 aide, and her school physical therapist, we designed a custom stander that allows her to step into supported upright positioning on her own terms. She can fully relax into the frame for support, or push herself to stand independently and hold her own body weight — building strength without the fear of falling.

We added a removable writing surface so standing does not only happen during therapy time. Gabby can choose to stand while doing classwork, participate in activities, or simply multitask with her peers.

While commercial standers exist, they are often costly, sterile in appearance, and not designed with personalization in mind. Gabby chose pink and purple. Those details matter. When devices feel approachable and dignified, they are used more consistently — and repetition is essential for progress.

If your school or therapy team is looking for collaborative, custom adaptive solutions, we would love to connect.

Address

32 Cedar Street
Kingston, NY

Website

https://www.adaptivedesignhudsonvalley.com/, https://static1.squarespace.com/static/60a458994fd36665ebbe4501/t/680baf6e6

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