by Shannon Coe, CFILC’s Reuse & Finance Coordinator
During the weekend of November 19th and 20th, I got the chance to attend the Abilities Expo in San Jose.
There were new faces and animals at the event. I saw horses giving rides to people with autism as a form of therapy. There was a hot air balloon with accessible views and a motor home with lifts to bring a person with a physical disability inside the motor home so they can go on adventures. The Expo also had a film festival that showed documentaries submitted by people with disabilities.
The AT device I liked the most at the Expo was a manual wheelchair that could become a motorized wheelchair when you attach an electronic device that looks like the front of a standard bicycle to it. The device looks like a motorized bicycle. It is currently not in the market but I saw a participant riding around in it. The inventor went to the Expo to show off the device in hopes of getting a venture capitalist to invest in the wheelchair. Overall, I was impressed with the creative inventions and art that permeated the event.
Have you been to an Abilities Expo? If so, what was your experience like?