Association for Adults With Developmental Disabilities - AADD

08/15/2025

AADD & JCHAI got groovy at Art In The Pod! We kicked things off with a delicious lunch from Wawa, then our fabulous hostess, Nina, showed us how to create three far-out tie-dye patterns: accordion, bullseye, and swirl.

After choosing their favorite design, everyone joined in a colorful conversation about primary colors (red, blue, and yellow) and how they mix to make secondary colors. Each participant got their own bottles of dye and got to work! Nina and her amazing team had already presoaked the shirts in soda ash, then helped everyone bag their creations to set for 24–48 hours before washing.

It was a great day filled with friends being together, working side-by-side, and learning something new. We can’t wait to return to Art In The Pod for another cool creative adventure!

07/28/2025

Getting down to Hawaii 5-0!

07/28/2025

Aloha Style Dance!

07/27/2025

🌺 AADD & JCHAI Luau Celebration! 🌺
Yesterday’s Amazing Luau was a joyful, heartwarming tribute sponsored by the Doug Jarett Memorial Fund—and we couldn’t imagine a better way to honor Doug’s memory.

Doug was a longtime AADD member, the life of every party, and a huge fan of the Brady Bunch—especially their legendary Hawaii episode, a trip he once recreated with his own family.

Our members and staff enjoyed a delicious Hawaiian-inspired lunch, followed by a stunning performance and fun hula lessons with Aloha Style Dance. 🌴💃

Huge thanks to the Jarett family for creating this special fund in Doug’s honor, and to Stacey Jarett Levitan for joining us for this inaugural celebration. Doug’s spirit was absolutely with us—dancing, laughing, and spreading aloha. 💛🌈

07/22/2025

What’s your favorite arcade game?!
30 members of AADD came together on Sunday for an afternoon of friendship & fun at Game On State in Media! We enjoyed playing arcade games, competing in air hockey, singing karaoke, eating pizza, buying candy, and just kicking back and enjoying each other’s company in a chill space. This trip gave us a variety of opportunities to not just have a lot of fun, but to put our skills to work with things like asking a friend to play a 2 person game, helping a friend learn to play an arcade game new to us, making a purchase in a store while interacting with a friendly clerk, choosing a song and singing in front of a crowd, and…driving in a realistic race car simulator!
AADD staff observed a number of new social connections between members proving that trips like this provide new ways and reasons for members to interact and to relate with each other.
Game on State, one of the mission based non-profit businesses powered by Aneway For Purpose, is a place where over 25% of its staff are people with disabilities and proves that inclusion and fun go hand in hand and is a successful business model. With a mission that relates so closely with ours at AADD, this was an important outing for us as a way support the work being done in Media while giving our members an awesome afternoon to remember!
Check out Game on State in Media and consider supporting the impactful work that Anewway For Purpose is doing for our community! We’re so grateful to be connected with them.

https://www.gameonstate.com/

https://www.anewayforpurpose.org/

07/13/2025

A day at the theatre! Our group of over 35 enjoyed a matinee performance of Little Shop of Horrors at People's Light in Malvern this afternoon. As part of their 50th Anniversary Season, People’s Light pulled out all the stops for this brilliantly creative & horrifyingly hilarious production of this lasting musical favorite! Our members were entertained by the incredibly talented performers and the Broadway-caliber costumes, sets, and lighting - this production had many members saying they couldn’t wait to come back for another show at this theatre.
Special thanks to the staff, volunteers, and artists at People’s Light who made our afternoon such a positive & memorable experience. They all made it easy for our members to enjoy each other’s company while engaging with our greater community in support of our local performing arts!

The reviews are in: Little Shop of Horrors at People’s Light is a hit! Don’t miss it 🪴

06/29/2025

51 members of AADD & JCHAI came together to enjoy a Trenton Thunder baseball game for their Disability Awareness & Inclusion Day! The sun was shining bright but our members’ smiles were even brighter as we paraded around the field before the game started - video of us even made it onto the big screen in the outfield!
We settled into our shaded, reserved section and enjoyed a picnic buffet lunch with salad, burgers, hot dogs, chicken fingers, and more. After the National Anthem, it was time to play ball!
It’s always a special occasion when Cole the Deaf Dog- The Team Cole Project joins us - and today, Cole brought along his brother Sullivan, who’s deaf & blind, and Cece, who’s deaf. These three therapy dogs bring comfort and enjoyment to so many while spreading the vital message that “a disability is not an inability, it’s a superpower!” We always love spending time with Cole and friends because not only are they super awesome, but their mission directly aligns with ours.
While some members enjoyed cookies, ice cream, or water ice, Boomer, the Thunder’s mascot, snuck up and joined us for laughs & photos!
It was a great day for us all to be together in friendship at the ballpark. And, even better - the Thunder won 8 - 1…what a game!

06/23/2025

06/21/2025

Day 4 of the AADD / JCHAI Members’ Cruise was a fulfilling day at sea! We enjoyed a lovely breakfast in the magnificent dining room followed by individual choices of leisure time activities - some members chose to relax in the hot tubs and heated pools, some danced and enjoyed live music in The Promenade, some hid AADD rubber ducks around the ship, others relaxed in the cabins, or made new friends while exploring the ship in pairs.
Lunch in the buffet was followed by another Ice Skating Spectacular show - we were all astounded by the level of skill and artistry demonstrated by the performers…a backflip on ice on a rocking cruise ship blew our minds. Everyone enjoyed a bit of down time and started getting their cabin organized and bags packed before Caribbean Night dinner in the dining room. Dinner turned into a show when they turned up the music and all of the incredible servers and chefs paraded through giving us an opportunity to express our gratitude. The experience peaked when our servers led all of us in wildly fun dancing around the tables! We waved our napkins high in the air, laughed, and danced together with genuine joy.
Following dinner, we were back in the Platinum Theatre for a concert performance featuring the ship’s talented orchestra, singers, and dancers.
Today gave our members an opportunity to enjoy each other’s company, to meet other cruise guests from around the country, to talk and dance with crew members from around the world, and to experience supported independence in trying new things within a community of friends. As one member said joyfully, “this is the life, baby!”

06/20/2025

Day 3 of the AADD / JCHAI Members’ Cruise - a day in the beautiful port of Halifax, Nova Scotia! After breakfast on the ship, we set out on a guided scenic bus tour to Peggy’s Cove…it was cool, misty, and foggy, but we were still able to see the beautiful lighthouse, snap some great photos, and shop for souvenirs. On our way back to the port, our bus tour took us past the historic Citadel on a hill where we learned about its significance and design (and, the cool way they cut the grass with robotic lawnmowers). Our bus left us off back near the ship where we leisurely walked the boardwalk along the water to a fantastic lunch at the Waterfront Warehouse restaurant. New friendships (and breaking news of one member’s new job!) were toasted and lively conversation was shared over delicious Lobster Rolls, Fish & Chips, Crab Cobb Salads, Clam Po’Boys….and plenty of land based choices, too. Our walk back along the water provided more opportunities for photos to capture special memories, and, of course, more shopping before retuning to the ship.
Dinner in the Michelangelo Dining Room tonight featured an Italian inspired menu, but the highlight was getting to dance the Macarena with our wonderful team of servers. So much fun!
Later in the evening, many of us enjoyed a very funny magic show in the Platinum Theatre. While some settled into bed, others enjoyed live music and shopping in the ship’s Promenade and lounges.
We’re looking forward to another day at sea tomorrow! 🚢

06/19/2025

Day 2 of the AADD/JCHAI Members’ Cruise vacation has been joyous and memorable! We started with a filling breakfast together in the Windjammer buffet before embarking on an incredibly cool “Behind the Scenes” tour of parts of the ship never seen by most cruise guests. We first met one of the talented show cast members who gave us a backstage tour of the Platinum Theatre and learned about what it takes to put on a full Broadway-style show at sea. Then, we ventured down to the decks below sea level - 3 meters below the water line(!) - to learn about how all of the laundry for the entire ship gets done. Next, one of the Chefs led us around one of the galleys of the Main Dining Room followed by the Purchasing manager telling us about the ordering and storage of every single thing that comes onto the ship for every voyage. After being screened by security, we went into the Main Control Room where we learned how all of the many systems of the ship are monitored and controlled from the massive engines to the plumbing, electricity, HVAC, pool filters, and much more. Members asked lots of questions and we all learned a lot together.
Later in the day, we got all dressed up in our finest clothes for photos & a formal French dinner in the Michelangelo dining room. It felt great to look so good!
After dinner, many of us danced to a great live band that played a lot of our favorite songs before we went back to the theatre for a performance of the Broadway version of “Saturday Night Fever!”
We’re all ready for a good night’s sleep before our port day in Halifax, Nova Scotia 🚢🇨🇦

06/18/2025

Day 1 of our AADD/JCHAI Members’ Cruise has been wonderful! We loaded up the bus at our office in Willow Grove and rode to the port in Bayonne,
NJ to set sail on Royal Caribbean’s beautiful Liberty of the Seas ship! Members and staff enjoyed lunch in the Windjammer buffet before getting settled in the rooms and then exploring the ship. Many of us were up on the pool deck for the Sail Away Party as we passed under the Verrazano Bridge. We enjoyed a delicious four-course dinner together in the stunning Michelangelo dining room followed by a magnificent ice skating show called “Encore! An Ice Spectucular.”
What a day! 🚢 We’re already looking forward to tomorrow’s day at sea.