SCOTTSDALE, AZ — The Abilities Expo brings resources, technology, events, and inclusive activities all under one big roof.
This weekend it's taking over Scottsdale's WestWorld, as people from all over the Valley came to have fun and get valuable information.
There are over 200 vendors, some selling the latest technology to help people with disabilities, and others offering outreach.
"We're United Cerebral Palsy of Central Arizona," Mariah Thomas said. "We're here to help them find resources. If we can't help them, we're giving them other resources to help them find them."
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The expo offers far more than just vendors and booths. One of the main attractions is the "No Limits" climbing wall, which helps people with disabilities to try something they may have never done before.
Providing the rock wall is personal for Mark Wellman.
"I was 22, mountaineering. We were going down a chute and I slipped. Fell 100 feet and broke my lower back," Wellman said.
He says the wall helps all people push their perceived limits.
"I think we all need to get out of our comfort zone," Wellman said.
In addition to sports, there are opportunities to be creative.
Zot Artz offers unique paint rollers that attach to wheelchairs, and people can roll around the canvas painting.
"That moment when that individual rolls across the painting and leaves a mark like that for the first time, there's just nothing as reaching and as powerful as creating those opportunities," Dwayne Szot said.
Denisse Fordham's daughter Ale has spina bifida. She says while Ale is artistic, Zot Artz helped her daughter feel more involved with the art project.
"We cannot go to a lot of places because not every place is accessible for someone with a wheelchair," Fordham said. "So it was great to have something inclusive for her to enjoy."
Parking does cost $10, but everything else including the activities at the Abilities Expo is free.
The expo runs through Sunday and is open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
