Long Beach, California, was a gorgeous setting for the first Abilities Expo of the year, co-located with the inaugural Abilities International Accessibility Conference for seating and wheeled mobility professionals.
The consumer-focused Abilities Expo was its usual blend of camaraderie, canines, resources and technology. Event Director Katy Roberts told conference attendees that more than 11,000 attendees had pre-registered for the weekend expo.
Both the conference and the Abilities Expo return to Long Beach next year, but earlier: Jan. 14-16, 2027.
From my “show bag”:
1: Easterseals supported its “D1$@B1L*tY is not a dirty word” campaign. 2: Wheelchair riders who use manual wheelchairs and live with spinal cord injury/disease can learn about a paid research study to learn wheelchair skills while at home: tinyurl.com/mwcpeercoaching. 3: CalABLE spoke to attendees about saving and investing without endangering public benefits such as Supplemental Security Income (SSI). 4: Favorite sticker of the show: Distributed by MakeGood, it shows a 3D-printed pediatric wheelchair. MakeGood is a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit “on a mission to make life-changing assistive technology accessible to everyone, regardless of income, insurance or geography.” 5: Felipe A. Hernandez, head of accessibility for the LA28 Olympic and Paralympic Games, asked attendees for feedback on accessibility at venues. 6: IMPACT (www.idea2impact.org) helps assistive technology entrepreneurs to “move forward with clarity and confidence” by providing assistance with funding, business models, intellectual property, etc. Funding is provided by a grant from National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research. 7: Strutt — headquartered in Long Beach, California — debuted at CES this year and is another power personal mobility device not classified as a wheelchair. 8: The Adapts portable rescue sling is designed for use in ships, airplanes, pools, hotels, schools, offices and gyms, and also can be used for everyday transfers. Six handles, 450-lb. weight capacity, quick and easy to use: [email protected]. 9: EnableGear’s Wheelbag provides storage space right on a manual wheelchair’s wheels, with a wide range of fabrics available: EnableGear.etsy.com. 10: All Wheels Up — whose mission is to increase awareness for safer and more dignified accessible air travel through research and advocacy — distributed cards with the Department of Transportation’s bill of rights for airline passengers for disabilities.
Thomashilfen’s Swifty line — here’s the Swifty 3 — is growing to accommodate larger/older users.
So many service dogs. So many hugs I couldn’t give them because they were working.
Ki Mobility handed out celebratory 20th anniversary cookies in the Etac booth.
First look at Permobil’s new TiLite TR (pictured/dual-tube) and ZR (monotube) ultralightweight chairs. Both the TR and ZR are also available in TRA/ZRA (adjustable) configurations.
An example of a MakeGood 3D-printed pediatric mobility device.
Wheelchair fencing: My top “I want to see this at the 2028 Los Angeles Paralympics!” sport.
