The consumer- and caregiver-focused Abilities Expo series is partnering with multiple industry organizations to bring educational sessions to seating, mobility and assistive technology professionals starting in 2026.
In a June 10 interview with Mobility Management, Katy Roberts, managing director of the Abilities Expo, discussed how the new Abilities International Accessibility Conference for industry professionals will work.
Professional conferences at three Abilities Expos
There will be seven Abilities Expos this year, the next one being in Chicago, June 20-22.
In 2026, the Abilities International Accessibility Conference will debut in the three Abilities Expo venues that traditionally have logged the highest attendance numbers: Los Angeles/Southern California in March, New York Metro (in Edison, N.J., in late April-early May), and Chicago/Schaumburg in June.
“This year, we had over 10,000 attendees in [Los Angeles],” Roberts said. “We had 7,500 in Edison, which was a 13% increase year on year. And at the moment, our Chicago show is really growing, about 10% up year on year.”
Roberts added that the Abilities International Accessibility Conference seeks to “evolve [the top three venues] into really big destinations. That’s what the conferences will help to do.”
Raccoon Media, owner of the Abilities Expo, is partnering with the Clinician Task Force (CTF), the International Registry of Rehabilitation Technology Suppliers (iNRRTS), the International Seating Symposium (ISS), the National Coalition for Rehab and Assistive Technology (NCART), the Rehabilitation Engineering & Assistive Technology Society of North America (RESNA), and U.S. Rehab to provide educational courses with continuing education units (CEUs).
This week, RESNA announced it will hold two conferences next year, one co-located with the Southern California Abilities Expo at the Long Beach Convention Center and the second co-located with the New York Metro Abilities Expo.
RESNA noted that attendees can “earn at least 10 hours of CEUs, led by expert delivery partners,” and said each of its conferences would include plenary sessions, keynotes, and industry-led workshops as well as business coaching and leadership development.”
While RESNA is not participating in the Chicago event, Roberts said the ISS and the CTF are participating at all three professional events, while U.S. Rehab will deliver business operations courses in Long Beach.
A robust exhibit hall
While the Abilities Expo has traditionally featured technology and services to serve people with a wide range of disabilities, seating, wheeled mobility, and accessibility exhibitors have dominated the exhibit halls.
Delegates — Raccoon Media’s term for professional conference attendees — will also have access to the three-day Abilities Expo when consumers are attending. Delegates will also enjoy unopposed time in the expo before consumers arrive. Roberts said the Southern California Abilities Expo drew approximately 200 exhibitors this year, with about 160 exhibitors in Edison and about 140 expected in Chicago.
There will be dedicated spaces for keynote, plenary, and educational sessions in close proximity to — but not within — the Abilities Expo exhibit hall. Abilities Expos run Friday through Sunday; the professional conferences will run all day Thursday and Friday. Delegates will also be free to visit the Abilities Expo over the weekend, when consumers and caregivers visit manufacturer booths, watch demonstrations of wheelchair sports, and attend consumer-focused educational sessions.
Registration fees for the three professional conferences will be identical, and the new show series will offer common perks such as hotel blocks with discounted room rates, lunches and snacks.
“We are currently building a new website,” Roberts added, “so we will launch our website in the beginning to mid July. We are just capturing registered interest for the moment, and then we will launch [registrations] around September.”
Visit the Abilities International Accessibility Conference website to register your interest in any or all of the professional conferences.
