A couple of weeks ago, a friend of mine asked me if I was interested in taking a workshop on building stuff out of cardboard, taught by the Adaptive Design Association. Located in New York City, ADA is this amazing non-profit whose mission is to make customized equipment for people (and especially children) with special needs. They use and reuse inexpensive material like cardboard, fabric and brown paper bags to make chairs, toys, and physical therapy equipment which can be custom designed for a person's exact dimensions and needs.

They hold workshops, where you can learn basic skills in cardboard carpentry. There's enough time in one class to build something you can take home and use. People in the workshop I attended made: a book/ laptop stand for working in bed, a work-out balance board and a physical therapy step stand. I ended up making a small staircase for my friend's diabetic cat with a cranky back, so he can get into bed.

Check out ADA's site for the fall workshop schedule. Classes are starting next week, so sign up now, and break out the (card) board.