The Future of Disability-Informed Care

Health care access

County of Los Angeles (select only if your project has a countywide benefit)

Expand existing project, program, or initiative (expanding and continuing ongoing, successful work)

Over 1 million Angelenos live with disabilities, yet most clinicians aren’t trained to care for them—and people with disabilities often don’t know where to turn for trusted support. Thrive Adaptive is the result of 15 years of lived and professional experience, including my work with LuskinOIC and DTLA Mobility for All. We’re partnering with medical schools like UCLA, WesternU, and CUSM, and working alongside community leaders like Angel City Sports, Triumph Foundation, and USC UCEDD. Together, we’re training future clinicians and building tools that directly support people with disabilities—meeting them where they are.

This grant will support Thrive Adaptive’s disability health education and resource access initiative—designed to train future clinicians while directly supporting people with disabilities across Los Angeles. We will expand four key programs: (1) hands-on clinical training at adaptive sports events, (2) hybrid learning modules co-developed with disabled community leaders, (3) a free, searchable Disability Resource Hub connecting users to verified services, and (4) a cross-disability advisory council guiding our work.
With over 500 medical student and clinician volunteers, Thrive partners with institutions like UCLA, WesternU, and CUSM, and collaborates with trusted organizations like Angel City Sports, Triumph Foundation, and USC UCEDD. Our platform and programming are built by and for the disability community—offering practical tools, lived-experience education, and trusted resource access in one unified model. This is how we close care gaps, rebuild trust, and shift the future of disability healthcare in Los Angeles.

As our work succeeds, Los Angeles will become a national model for disability-inclusive care. More than one million Angelenos with disabilities will gain access to a free, centralized hub of trusted local resources—empowering them to live fuller, more connected lives. Clinicians and medical students across LA will be trained through real-world, community-led experiences. We’re launching in LA to learn what it takes—human, relational, and technical—to build systems that truly center disabled people. Our co-founder, a disabled Angeleno now completing residency at Harvard Spaulding, reflects our belief that what starts here can scale. Our vision is to create adaptable tools—resource directories, education modules, and community-guided training—that can serve cities nationwide. This is about transforming care, rebuilding trust, and making sure disabled people are seen, supported, and celebrated in every part of the healthcare system.