Community Heroes

By Lisa Wells, Cure Medical Fitness advocate and founding member of the Rollettes dance team Maria Rabaino is embarking on a journey to help friends who roll lead healthier lives. Meet Maria and learn more at the Abilities Expo Chicago on June 29 – July 1, 2018. A New Chapter for Maria Rabaino: Facing Spinal Cord Injury The day before…

By Sarah Best, Abilities Expo New York Metro Ambassador Have you ever received a gift that changed your life? That’s what it felt like for me when I received my service dog, Edison, from the National Education for Assistance Dog Services (NEADS). He has given me the gift of independence! Having him by my side is…

By Leah Pietrusiak Dylan Kuehl (that’s pronounced “Keel”) is a visual artist, musician and dancer from Olympia, Washington who received his first drum kit at the age of 3. Dylan was born with Down Syndrome and has always lived life to the fullest and dreamt big. Now at the age of 33 has a jewelry line,…

By Greg Smith, Sr., The Strength Coach I’ve reached a milestone. I have achieved a victory over an enemy that has dominated me and limited me for as long as I can remember. And as I stand over this monster with my foot on its neck, it feels so good! I Can’t Believe I Am…

By Lisa Wells, Wheel-Life.org In 2004, at the age of 24, Natalie Marie Barnhard was working as a physical therapist assistant and licensed massage therapist—a great job in a field about which she was extremely passionate. Then a catastrophic accident changed her life when a 600-pound exercise weight machine fell over and landed on top of…

By Mike Ervin, Abilities Expo Ambassador For Reveca Torres, the key to recovery from her spinal cord injury was connection. Finding the disability community meant finding the technology, tips, resources and moral support that helped her realize disability wouldn’t destroy her dreams. That’s why she founded Backbones in 2008. Her mission, she says, is to “connect people…

In recent years, we have had the honor and pleasure of welcoming a very special little lady into our Abilities family. Ainsley Rossiter and her family have been a welcome addition to our team of ambassadors. Though she is only 11-years-old and has never uttered a word, she is the inspiration for Ainsley’s Angels and has played…

By Steve Simmons, USA Invictus Team Member What do you do when you face a life-changing illness, injury or wounds? What thoughts go through your mind when you hear doctors tell you they have no idea why this happened to you? For me, though the road back was a demanding and challenging one, it has…

After only 7 years in the NBA, Jonathan Bender’s promising basketball career was sidelined by excruciating knee pain. Once the youngest player in the league, sports aficionados everywhere expected great things from the young man that broke Michael Jordan’s scoring record in the McDonalds All American game. And, as it turned out, they were right.…

By Kristina Rhoades, Flower of Life Retreats We spend so much time worrying about our physical conditions, about diagnoses, that we often fail to grasp how much of an impact our thoughts and emotions have on our overall well-being. Think about how many ailments and diseases that doctors attribute to “stress.” I know when I’m really…

The outcry from the disability community about under-representation in Hollywood is as righteous as it is resounding. To add insult to injury, too many roles tailor-made for persons with disabilities are played by able-bodied actors. But not this time. Hawaii Five-0 creator, writer and executive producer Peter Lenkov set out to tell a remarkable story honestly, with…

By Janis Gioia Steven Spielberg take note: the story of Katie Mathews and her service dog, Cowboy, has blockbuster film written all over it! Katie, an intelligent, kind and beautiful young woman, who by God’s grace, the love of family, friends, and an extraordinarily cute, brainy and compassionate service dog, Cowboy, overcomes life-changing challenges that…