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!)
Abilities Expo brings you thousands of game-changing products, services and technologies all under one roof. Regardless of the type and level of your disability, we strive to provide the resources you need to exceed your own expectations and thrive.
Attend free, info-packed workshops on issues that matter to you. Get tips on financial planning, making your home more accessible, traveling with a disability and how medical cannabis can help a variety of conditions. There's more, check it out!
Find your new favorite pastime at Abilities Expo! Try such inclusive activities as adaptive sports, dance, assistance animals and so much more for the kids of all ages! If something sparks your interest, you can find out how to engage year-round.
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.
Here is the 2022 Abilities Expo line-up.
Check back 3 months out to find out what's in store for 2023.
Come on out and try a ton of different adaptive sports! Will your new favorite pastime be adaptive football, basketball, rugby, soccer, handcycling or sit volleyball?
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.
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.
Don’t miss our life-enhancing exhibits, dynamic workshops and fun events for kids of all ages!
Check back 3 months before the Expo for our exciting 2023 line-up.
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!
Free loaner scooters are available during show hours on a first come, first served basis. Wheelchair need a tune-up? Swing by the Free Wheelchair Repair Pavilion for minor maintenance.
American Sign Language interpretation will be available onsite. All workshops are captioned through CART (Communication Access Realtime Translation) services.
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.
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.
Here is the 2022 Abilities Expo line-up.
Check back 3 months out to find out what's in store for 2023.
Presented by: Kristin Hartness, Executive Director, Canines for Disabled Kids
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.
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.
Here is the 2022 Abilities Expo line-up.
Check back 3 months out to find out what's in store for 2023.
Adaptive Dance Workshop and Performance
Ayita Wheelchair Dance Performance and Class
Presented by: Jasmine's Beat Adaptive Dance Company
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.
Presented by: Ayita Wheelchair Dance
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.
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!
Here is the 2022 Abilities Expo line-up.
Check back 3 months out to find out what's in store for 2023.
Adaptive Cheer and ParaCheer
Adaptive Climbing Wall
Blind Hockey
Jiu Jitsu Without Limitations
Sports Zone
Tennis for All!
Wheelchair Football
Wheelchair Lacrosse
Wheelchair Rugby
WOW Wheelchair Fitness Class
Presented by: ParaCheer Spirit Wolves: the 2022 US National Adaptive Abilities Team, representing USA Cheer and the International Cheer Union
Adaptive Cheer/ParaCheer brings two kinds of athletes together: those with disabilities and those without. Cheerleading pushes boundaries and questions limitations, and these athletes are doing just that, modifying stunts and adjusting routines to create something new. ParaCheer Spirit Wolves will showcase their skills with a demonstration. Then you are invited to try it for yourselves with the US Nationals Team!
Presented by: Mark Wellman, Adventure Athlete, Paralympian, No Limits Tahoe
The 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.
Presented by: Joshua Schneider, MA and Drew Garza, USA Hockey, the Dented Pucks Hockey Team, and the HockEYE Guy Foundation
Discover the sport of blind hockey—open to those with and without vision loss. Hear from blind hockey players about how the sport is played. Plus have a chance to see the unique equipment used in blind hockey like the smaller and lighter hockey sticks, the blind puck, and blind goggles.
Presented by: Maximiliano Ulloa, International Jiu Jitsu Without Limitations Federation (IJJWLF)
Jiu Jitsu is a martial art that uses leverage to control an attacker. The techniques taught are designed to allow a smaller person to control a larger opponent by using chokes, manipulating joints, or just holding them until help arrives. Having a limitation may limit some techniques in this martial art - but the beauty of Jiu Jitsu is its versatility! Jiu Jitsu Without Limitations teaches you how to use your abilities to the fullest.
Presented by: RISE Adaptive Sports
Come on out for your chance to try out all sorts of adaptive sports! Sit volleyball, wheelchair basketball, wheelchair rugby, indoor soccer, hand cycling and more! See these sports in action, try them for yourself, and ask questions to find a sport to be part of. RISE Adaptive Sports assists people with physical challenges to "Recover, Inspire, Succeed and Empower" themselves and others.
Presented by: USTA Texas and Jeff Bourns, American Amputee Tennis Player
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!
Presented by: RISE Adaptive Sports
This free, learn-to-play wheelchair football clinic will introduce participants to the sport of wheelchair football, provide an overview of the rules, demonstrate skills and drills and conclude with a friendly scrimmage. RISE Adaptive Sports will have sports chairs available for participants to use. Players from the competitive Dallas Cowboys Wheelchair Football Team will be around to discuss the sport and their season.
Presented by: Louis Nicolosi, coach of the Houston Apollos Wheelchair Lacrosse program & Physical Therapist at TIRR Memorial Hermann
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 try it for yourself!
Presented by: RISE Adaptive Sports
This free, learn-to-play wheelchair rugby clinic will introduce participants to the sport, provide an overview of the rules, demonstrate skills and drills, and conclude with a friendly scrimmage. RISE Adaptive Sports will have rugby chairs available for participants to use.
Presented by: Justin Graham, Certified Personal Trainer, Creator, W.O.W. Wonders on Wheels
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.Explore how assistive technology can help you or your loved
ones bridge the gap between ability and disability!
Here is the 2022 Abilities Expo line-up.
Check back 3 months out to find out what's in store for 2023.
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.
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.
Here is the 2022 Abilities Expo line-up.
Check back 3 months out to find out what's in store for 2023.
Art Spark Texas challenges perceptions of how people contribute by creating an arts-inspired, inclusive community of individuals with diverse abilities. They are an expert resource on inclusive arts—creating and maintaining an accessible and open community where everyone can participate. Their goal is to provide support and training to the public, enhance personal growth, and offer Texans access to the creative work of people with diverse abilities.
Dallas Market Hall
2200 N Stemmons Fwy.
Dallas, TX 75207
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.
Visit Dart.org to plan your trip to Abilities Expo.
Local disability activists spearhead Abilities Expo's community outreach initiatives.
Meet the impressive individuals who have chosen to represent Abilities Expo to the Community.
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 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 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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