Latest Tech & Disability Products
Abilities Expo brings you thousands of game-changing tech, products and services. Regardless of the type and level of your disability, we strive to provide resources you need.
Dial Up Your Independence
at Abilities Expo
WWe can't wait to show you all of products, technologies and resources to help you up your game! Buckle up for an all-inclusive climbing wall, a slew of adaptive sports, fun dance opportunities, info-packed workshops and more. It's all free so join us and register today. (Then we'll all go out for BBQ!)
Our Sponsors
Our Sponsors
Informative Workshops
Attend free, info-packed workshops on issues that matter to you. Get tips on travel, finances, making your home accessible and sensory processing. There's more, check it out!
Interactive Events and Features
Try such inclusive activities as adaptive sports, dance and so much more for kids of all ages! If something sparks your interest, you can find out how to engage year-round.
Must-See and Can't-Miss Expo Experiences
There is just so much to see and do at Abilities Expo. Here are a few opportunities you don't want to let pass you by.
Cool Show Features
Scale the Adaptive Rock Wall
If you thought your climbing days were behind you, think again! Whatever your ability, YOU can conquer the completely inclusive climbing wall with the help of adaptive equipment.
Ayita Dance and More!
Time to hit the dance floor and learn the hottest dance moves from the Ayita Wheelchair Dance team. Then join in other fun adaptive dance and fitness classes.
Source Funds for What Your See
The tech out there can supercharge your independence, but the price tag can be overwhelming. Attend the Help Hope Live workshop to unlock your fundraising potential.
Plan Your Visit to Abilities Expo
Don't miss our life-enhancing exhibits, dynamic workshops and fun events for all ages!
Calendar
All Day, Every Day
Friday, December 1, 2023
Saturday, December 2, 2023
3:45 – 4:45pm Out of the Box Accessibility: Windows and iOS features for the Blind and Visually Impaired Workshop
Sunday, December 3, 2023
Disability Services for Expo-goers
In our efforts to ensure a positive show experience, Abilities Expo endeavors to accommodate the disability community with a host of special show services including loaner scooters, sign language interpretation, free wheelchair, captioning services for the workshop and so much more!
Special Show Services for People with Disabilities
Loaner Scooters & W/C Repair
Free loaner scooters are available during show hours on a first come, first served basis. Wheelchair need a tune-up? Swing by the Sunrise Medical Free Wheelchair Repair Pavilion for minor maintenance.
Sign Language and CART Services
American Sign Language interpretation will be available for those who need translation. All workshops are captioned through CART (Communication Access Realtime Translation) services.
Large Print Accommodations
Large print versions of the exhibitor list and the events/workshops schedule will be available on demand. Please request your copy at the registration counters.
Assistance Animals Play Critical Role
Animals have become an intrinsic part of the disability community. Some are essential to the healing process, while others help their human partners become more independent.
Service Dogs
All About Service Dogs
Presented by: Kristin Hartness, Executive Director, Canines for Disabled Kids
Friday, December 1: 12:00 - 12:45pm
Saturday, December 2: 12:00 - 12:45pm
Discover how service dogs are meeting the needs of people with many different disabilities. Find out the many ways service dogs can help achieve independence in people's lives – from picking up a cell phone to providing physical stability, even counting money! Service dogs are available for many different types of disability, including vision and hearing loss, mobility, autism and seizure/allergy alert. Learn about funding support, the process to acquire a dog, and what to expect from your service dog provider organization.
Learn the Latest Adaptive Dance Moves
Dancing is great for the body, and even better for spirit!
Don't miss your change to get in the groove while improving
fitness, strength and endurance.
Inclusive Dance Performances
Adaptive Dance Workshop and Performance
Ayita Wheelchair Dance Performance and Class
Adaptive Dance Workshop and Performance
Presented by: Jasmine's Beat Adaptive Dance Company
Sunday, December 3: 2:00 - 2:30pm
Discover adaptive dance with Jasmine's Beat! Learn simple dance moves, practice with the dancers, and perform the dance! The styles of dance shown will be adaptive fusion and will be a mixture of American Sign Language, Jazz, Tap, Ballet, and Bollywood. The goal of this event is to show how you can have fun, make friends and gain traction on attaining therapeutic goals with dance. All Jasmine's Beat instructors are either therapists or trained individuals with experience working with students of all ages and all disabilities.
Ayita Wheelchair Dance Performance and Class
Presented by: Ayita Wheelchair Dance
Saturday, December 2: 2:00 - 2:30pm
Meet the young ladies of this amazing Texas-based wheelchair dance troupe! Ayita is a dance class for children who use wheelchairs. Their mission is to inspire, encourage, and build confidence! Abilities Expo is thrilled to welcome these talented young dancers to the show. They will be treating the crowd to thrilling performance. Then it's your chance to join them on the dance floor and learn some new moves at their dance class.
Get in the Game with Adaptive Sports
The sidelines are no place for you so take your pick from a variety of interactive, adaptive sports. You’ll get the blood pumping, improve fitness and build confidence
…and the fun factor is off the charts!
Adaptive Sports & Fitness
Adaptive Climbing Wall
Adaptive Golf
Adaptive Soccer
RISE Adaptive Sports Zone
Tennis for All!
Wheelchair Basketball
Wheelchair Lacrosse
Wheelchair Pickleball
WOW Wheelchair Fitness Class
Adaptive Climbing Wall 
Presented by: Mark Wellman, Adventure Athlete, Paralympian, No Limits Tahoe
All Day, Every DayThe Adaptive Climbing Wall is open to people of all abilities! There is no better person to learn adaptive climbing from than Mark Wellman of No Limits. Mark is a former Paralympian and Park Ranger, and he is the first paraplegic to summit El Capitan and Half Dome in Yosemite National Park. Come climb the wall using Mark's innovative adaptive climbing techniques and adaptive sports gear. Climbing has tremendous benefits—building confidence, developing goal-setting skills, increasing strength and improving flexibility.
Adaptive Golf
Presented by: Gianna Rojas, The One Handed Lady Golfer and Founder, AdaptiveGolfers.org
Friday, December 1: 1:00 - 1:45pm
Golf can be a fun, therapeutic activity for individuals of all abilities. Adaptive golf means understanding how to apply one's own ABILITIES to enjoy golf by making modifications (big or small) to how the game is learned, swing techniques and equipment used to allow an individual to play golf to their fullest potential.
Adaptive Soccer
Presented by: Lone Star Adaptive Soccer
Sunday, December 3: 1:00 - 1:45pm
Adaptive soccer offers the opportunity for athletes of all ages and with a variety of limb differences to play soccer in both recreational and competitive settings. Come learn about this sport, watch a demonstration, see the equipment, and even try it for yourself!
RISE Adaptive Sports Zone
All Day, Every Day
Come on out for your chance to try out all sorts of adaptive sports! Sit volleyball, wheelchair football, wheelchair skate, wheelchair rugby, hand cycling and more! See these sports in action, try them for yourself, and ask questions to find a sport to be a part of.
Tennis for All!
Presented by: Dallas Wheelchair Tennis Club; Jeff Bourns, American Amputee Tennis Player, and USTA Texas
Saturday, December 2: 4:00 - 4:30pm
Come discover how tennis offers opportunities for anyone to play and enjoy the sport! Join us to try both wheelchair tennis and adaptive standing tennis. Learn how you can play wheelchair tennis with USTA Texas. Meet Jeff Bourns, who helped popularize and pioneer the growth and development of organized Adaptive Standing Tennis. All ages and abilities are welcome!
Wheelchair Basketball
Presented by: Dallas Junior Wheelchair Mavs
Saturday, December 2: 3:00 - 3:45pm
Pickleball is a fun sport that is gaining popularity among people of all ages. Players use a paddle and wiffle ball plus a sport chair if needed. The game combines elements of ping pong, tennis, and badminton. Come try pickleball for yourself and see if this could be your new adaptive sport!
Wheelchair Lacrosse
Presented by: Louis Nicolosi and the Houston Apollos Wheelchair Lacrosse Team
Saturday, December 2: 12:00 - 4:30pm
Lacrosse is a fast-paced, full contact sport utilizing numerous skills to catch, carry, pass, and shoot a ball into a goal using a lacrosse stick. It is a great off-season companion sport to basketball with the season running between the months of May to August. Wheelchair lacrosse offers the complete package—the speed of basketball, the skill of hockey, and the toughness of rugby. Come out and learn about this exciting sport and try it for yourself!
Wheelchair Pickleball
Presented by: Jamie Bunch Elliott, Wheelchair Pickleballers and Pam Fontaine, U.S.
Sunday, December 3: 12:00 - 12:45pm
Pickleball is a fun sport that is gaining popularity among people of all ages. Players use a paddle and wiffle ball plus a sport chair if needed. The game combines elements of ping pong, tennis, and badminton. Come try pickleball for yourself and see if this could be your new adaptive sport!
WOW Wheelchair Fitness Class
Presented by: Justin Graham, Certified Personal Trainer, Creator, W.O.W. Wonders on Wheels
Friday, December 1: 2:00 - 2:30pm
Saturday, December 2: 1:00 - 1:30pm
Ready to have a lot of fun and work out at the same time? Come experience a WOW Wheelchair Fitness Class! The class features movements for seated students and is taught by a seated instructor; however, standing participants are also welcome. Featuring elements of weight training, Zumba, and pom-pom dance.
AT Showcase: Interact with
Tomorrow’s Tech Today
Explore how assistive technology can help you or your loved
ones bridge the gap between ability and disability!
Assistive Technology Showcase
The Abilities Expo AT Showcase, sponsored by the Texas Technology Access Program (TTAP) of the University of Texas at Austin, is your chance to explore how assistive technology can help you or your loved ones bridge the gap between ability and disability!
TTAP is dedicated to increasing the access for people with disabilities to AT that offers greater control over their surroundings and an enhanced ability to function independently. They develop programs to improve access, advocacy and awareness of assistive technology to meet the needs of Texans with disabilities.
Experience Creativity at the Artists Market
The area's most celebrated artists with disabilities will feature an eclectic mix of original, unforgettable artistry. From paintings to photos and more, their amazing works will be available for appreciation and purchase.
Inclusive Art
Achievement Through The Arts challenges perceptions of how people contribute by creating an arts-inspired, inclusive community of individuals with diverse abilities. They are a group of artists dealing with mental illness, a creative support group that encourages artists to achieve.
Getting to Abilities Expo
Dallas Market Hall
2200 N Stemmons Fwy.
Dallas, TX 75207
Directions, Parking and Transpo
Directions | From Downtown:
- Take 35E North to the Market Center Blvd exit.
- Exit at Market Center Blvd.
- Stay on the service road approximately half a mile.
- Dallas Market Hall will be on your right.
Directions | From the Tollway:
- Take the Dallas North Tollway South to the end.
- Once through the toll plaza, exit immediately on Wycliff.
- Follow Wycliff until it dead ends into Harry Hines Blvd.
- Take a right on Harry Hines and stay in the left lane.
- At the next light, take a left onto Market Center Blvd.
- Dallas Market Hall will be the closest building on your right.
Directions | From Fort Worth:
- Take IH30 East through Arlington, Grand Prairie, and into Dallas.
- Once you see the downtown skyline, get into the left lane and prepare to exit on 35E North (Stemmons Freeway).
- Once on Stemmons, proceed to Market Center Blvd.
- Exit Market Center Blvd.
- Stay on the service road and proceed through the light across Market Center Blvd.
- Dallas Market Hall is immediately on your right.
Directions | From Irving:
- Take 183 East or 114 East to the merge with 35E South at Texas Stadium.
- Once on 35E South, go approximately 7 miles to Market Center Blvd.
- Exit Market Center Blvd.
- Take a left.
- Go under the bridge and take another immediate left to stay on the service road.
- Dallas Market Hall is directly on your right.
Parking and Drop off
Parking is free. Spaces are located directly in front of the Hall's entrance and in the adjacent 3-level parking garage. If you would like to drop off any passengers before you park, please do so at the front of the hall before proceeding to park.
Transpo to the Expo
Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART)
Visit Dart.org to plan your trip to Abilities Expo.
Wheelchair Van Rentals
Interest in renting a wheelchair van to come to the Expo? United Access, part of the BraunAbility family, has a variety of options for you to choose from.
Meet the Ambassadors
Local disability activists spearhead Abilities Expo's community outreach initiatives.
Ambassador Program
Meet the impressive individuals who have chosen to represent Abilities Expo to the Community.
Leslie Farin
My top-rated online senior lifestyle magazine, 50PlusToday, is a business that happily pulls together a lifetime of passions and skills for me. It provides accurate, insightful and inspiring information for the ever-growing 50+ population and their families. Growing older is a privilege, though unfortunately many of us fail to see it that way.
Gina Jenkins McWilliams
Gina lost her right leg below the knee as the result of a car accident 16 years ago. As she delved into the world of adaptive sports, she was continually in search of volleyball opportunities for women with disabilities. She finally found them when asked to attend the first ever women’s sitting volleyball camp, held at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, CO, in February 2003.
Dylan Rafaty
Dylan Rafaty of Plano serves as the Vice Chair of the Governor’s Committee on People with Disabilities. Dylan is currently Director of Business Development & Partnerships for C-Hear, Inc., a company that developed a way to make images accessible and heard. He is Founder / Chief Navigation Officer for DylanListed, LLC, a transition and support services provider for people with disabilities and veterans. Dylan also proudly sits on seven boards/committees benefiting local school districts, nonprofits and community organizations.
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