The rise of mobile computing and wireless network technology means that, increasingly, applications must adapt to their environment, in particular network connectivity and resource availability. This paper outlines the TOAST middleware platform which provides component-oriented CORBA support for adaptive distributed multimedia applications. In particular, the paper examines how the areas of reflection and open implementation have shaped the approach to adaptation support in TOAST. The paper then discusses novel ongoing research which is investigating middleware support for distributed cooperative visualization using TOAST as a base.