We’ll be back next year, same time, same place! See you on May 20-22, 2011!

Abilities Expo Draws Huge Crowds in the Garden State

In a dramatic increase over the 2009 attendance, nearly 6,500 people were on the scene May 21-23 to experience Abilities Expo New York Metro at the New Jersey Convention & Expo Center in Edison, New Jersey. Attendees from all over the Eastern seaboard came in force to see the latest products and services for people with disabilities, learn from dynamic workshops and engage in fun events and activities.

One attendee summed up his impressions poetically, calling the event, “Disability Wonderland.”

“It’s so motivational to be around this community of people who are looking for a way to excel and maximize their opportunities in life,” said David Korse, president and CEO of Abilities Expo. “We continue to be blown away by the courage and tenacity of those we meet and are honored to bring them an event that makes a difference in their daily life.”

For more information about the 2010 New York Metro Abilities Expo, click on the following links:

• Events & Activities
• Workshops
• Featured Products
• Exhibitor List
• Press Room
• Dance Pavilion
• Climbing Wall
• Meet Prudence
• SuperX Course

Abilities Expo will be back in the New York Metro area on May 20-22, 2011. Stay tuned to www.abilitiesexpo.com/newyork for details.

Products & Services
The biggest advantage that the Expo offers is to have such a wide variety of products and services for the full spectrum of people with disabilities in one place. Whether it was a new wheelchair or performance-enhancing wheelchair accessories, adaptive clothing, accessible home furnishings, medical equipment, daily living aids or other life-enhancing product, the New York Metro Abilities Expo was the place to be.

Exhibitors were also thrilled with the positive response from attendees. “The exposure that we received from the expo was fantastic!” said Rob Gartmayer of Ride-Away Handicap Equipment Corporation. Their motorcycles—which allow a wheelchair user to roll in, lock down and drive away—deliver freedom for people with disabilities and were a huge hit.

Assistive Technology Pavilion
The hands-on experience provided by the Assistive Technology Pavilion Interactive Demo Lab—sponsored by the New Jersey Assistive Technology Center—was also very popular.

Expo goers of all ages with physical, sensory and developmental disabilities got to test drive different AT devices which make learning accessible—from augmentative communication equipment to educational software to mouse and keyboard alternatives. They also had the opportunity to work with certified AT professionals who helped to match the right technology to the individual’s needs.

Workshops
A series of enlightening sessions on the issues that truly resonate with the community were featured right on the show floor. Attendees came away with much-needed information on travel, sexuality, finances, advances in neurotechnology, the impact of pending disability legislation, how to be an effective parent with a disability, how to make their house a Home, Sweet Accessible Home and more.

Events & Activities
What’s even better than finding all the great products you need in one place? Having the time of your life in the process! Abilities Expo wowed attendees with some amazing (and extreme) activities. Towering over the show floor was a 25-foot rock climbing wall, completely accessible to all with the help of adaptive climbing equipment. “It’s liberating,” said attendee Paula Bollen. “It’s as much a joy as when I jumped out of a perfectly good airplane to skydive.”

Adrenalin junkies of all ages also pushed their limits and challenged their peers on the Wheelchair Super X Fun Course, a wheelchair obstacle course. And for those who preferred a graceful waltz to a wild ride, the wheelchair ballroom dancing was enchanting. With instruction from the people who pioneered wheelchair dancing in the US, attendees of widely varying levels of ability twirled around the dance floor with their able-bodied partners.

Participants also had a blast with the Interactive assistance dog demos, face painting for kids, adaptive sports and more. But, more importantly, these activities opened up the possibilities and raised awareness of what is out there for people with disabilities.

Music by Prudence
In a very special Abilities Expo presentation, attendees heard first-hand the powerful, moving story of Prudence Mabhena, an African woman with a severe disability and the star of the 2010 Oscar-winning Music By Prudence.

Prudence’s childhood in Zimbabwe was struggle for survival, striving to have her most basic needs met. She was neglected, isolated and ridiculed. After years of degradation and dehumanization, her despair turned to hope when she received a scholarship from an African school for children with disabilities…and found her voice.

Prudence serenaded a captivated Abilities Expo audience with a lovely song that her grandmother used to sing. She and Music By Prudence director Roger Ross Williams also spoke of what is was like to film the documentary, the plight of people with disabilities in Africa and Prudence’s plans for the future.

Exhibitors were equally moved by this extraordinary young woman and were eager to help in her endeavors. Thanks to the their generosity, Prudence received multiple sponsors for wheelchairs and adaptive clothing.

The Expo Made News