FREE Workshops!
Enjoy a variety of free workshops at Abilities Expo 2025! From topics like caregiving, financial literacy, nutrition and more, you’re sure to find something to learn!
While there is no registration required for our workshops, make sure to arrive a few minutes early to guarantee a seat! And while you’re waiting for the next workshop to begin, don’t forget to check out our Events, Exhibitors and Adaptive Climbing Wall.
A note to the professionals: Certificates of Participation are available for all workshops and can be obtained by visiting the Accessibility Help Desk during the show. Certificate recipients must be registered attendees at the show.
Friday, March 7, 2025
11:15am – 12:00pm
Spend and Save with an ABLE Account!
Presenter: CalABLE and State Treasurer, Fiona Ma
Location: Workshops
Living with a disability is expensive, but an ABLE account can help! ABLE Accounts are tax-advantaged savings and investment accounts that allow people with disabilities to save money without impacting eligibility for public benefits. CalABLE is California’s ABLE Program and will be hosting this session. Here are some key facts about CalABLE:
(1) You can save beyond the $2,000 limit for SSI and keep receiving payments.
(2) You can invest and grow your money tax-free for your future needs.
(3) You can spend your money on items and experiences that make your life better.
In this session, we’ll discuss these facts and more, including ABLE eligibility, contribution limits, investment options, qualified expenses, and how to open an account. Learn more at https://calable.ca.gov/.
1:30pm – 2:00pm
From Red Tape to Real Care: How to Navigate Healthcare Hurdles Successfully
Presenter: Linda M. Schultz, PhD, CRRN
Location: Workshops
From Red Tape to Real Care: How to Navigate Healthcare Hurdles Successfully" is an insightful workshop by Nurse Linda Schultz of the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation. In this session, participants will learn practical strategies for overcoming common obstacles in the healthcare system, such as complex paperwork, insurance challenges, and access to necessary resources. Nurse Linda draws on her extensive experience to offer guidance on advocating for patient needs, understanding healthcare policies, and ensuring timely, effective care. Attendees will be empowered with tools to navigate healthcare hurdles with confidence and ease.
2:15pm - 3:00pm
From Discovery to Diagnosis: A Parent’s Guide to Finding Your Child’s Voice
Presenter: Thunder Walker
Location: Workshops
Do you feel like you’ve been spinning in circles, trying to help your child communicate? This presentation is your roadmap to becoming the confident, knowledgeable advocate your child needs. From navigating IEP disagreements to finding support in your community, you’ll discover that you already have what it takes to make a lasting impact on your child’s education and future. Join us to learn strategies for building a meaningful learning experience at school and at home—one word, one IEP, and one step forward at a time!
3:30pm – 4:00pm
Empowered Eating
Presenter: Jesi Stracham and Nikki Walsh, Certified Nutrition Coaches and Personal Trainers
Location: Workshops
Join Nikki and Jesi, both certified nutrition coaches and personal trainers, for Empowered Eating! Empowered Eating is a transformative workshop that provides practical tools to reduce inflammation, foster a positive mindset around food, and understand how to nourish your body to stay strong, healthy, and independent. Take control of your wellness journey with confidence and clarity!
4:15pm – 4:45pm
Universal Design: The Approach of BILLY Footwear to Bring Inclusive Shoes to Market
Presenter: Billy Price, Co-Founder of BILLY Footwear
Location: Workshops
Universal Design is the design and composition of an environment so that it can be accessed, understood and used to the greatest extent possible by all people regardless of their age, size, ability or disability. It is a term commonly used in architecture but can apply to so much more. We at BILLY Footwear applied the concept to fashion, specifically shoes, striving to blur lines between adaptive and mass-market.
Saturday, March 8, 2025
11:15am – 11:45pm
Spend and Save with an ABLE Account!
Presenter: CalABLE
Location: Workshops
Living with a disability is expensive, but an ABLE account can help! ABLE Accounts are tax-advantaged savings and investment accounts that allow people with disabilities to save money without impacting eligibility for public benefits. CalABLE is California’s ABLE Program and will be hosting this session. Here are some key facts about CalABLE:
(1) You can save beyond the $2,000 limit for SSI and keep receiving payments.
(2) You can invest and grow your money tax-free for your future needs.
(3) You can spend your money on items and experiences that make your life better.
In this session, we’ll discuss these facts and more, including ABLE eligibility, contribution limits, investment options, qualified expenses, and how to open an account. Learn more at https://calable.ca.gov/.
12:00am - 12:30pm
Discover How to Pay for Everything You See Today!
Presenter: Help Hope Live
Location: Workshop
Did you know that you can fundraise to cover the costs of everything you see at Abilities Expo? From power wheelchairs to accessible vehicles, from adaptive bikes to home modifications. And more! Help Hope Live wants to help make this happen! Come find out how the Help Hope Live non-profit organization works closely with Abilities Expo exhibitors and others – to get our clients on their way to independence!
1:00pm – 1:30pm
From Red Tape to Real Care: How to Navigate Healthcare Hurdles Successfully
Presenter: Linda M. Schultz, PhD, CRRN
Location: Workshops
From Red Tape to Real Care: How to Navigate Healthcare Hurdles Successfully" is an insightful workshop by Nurse Linda Schultz of the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation. In this session, participants will learn practical strategies for overcoming common obstacles in the healthcare system, such as complex paperwork, insurance challenges, and access to necessary resources. Nurse Linda draws on her extensive experience to offer guidance on advocating for patient needs, understanding healthcare policies, and ensuring timely, effective care. Attendees will be empowered with tools to navigate healthcare hurdles with confidence and ease.
1:45 - 2:15pm
From Discovery to Diagnosis: A Parent’s Guide to Finding Your Child’s Voice
Presenter: Thunder Walker
Location: Workshops
Do you feel like you’ve been spinning in circles, trying to help your child communicate? This presentation is your roadmap to becoming the confident, knowledgeable advocate your child needs. From navigating IEP disagreements to finding support in your community, you’ll discover that you already have what it takes to make a lasting impact on your child’s education and future. Join us to learn strategies for building a meaningful learning experience at school and at home—one word, one IEP, and one step forward at a time!
Sunday, March 9, 2025
11:15am - 12:00pm
All About Service Dogs
Presenter: Kristin Hartness, Executive Director of Canines for Disabled Kids (CDK)
Location: Workshops
Service dogs can help you achieve more independence in your life. Assisting with all types of tasks, from picking up a cell phone to providing physical stability to counting money, and more! Service dogs are available for people with many different disabilities, including vision and hearing loss, mobility, Autism, and seizure/allergy alert. Learn about how one acquires a service dog, the support available to assist with covering the costs, and what to expect from your service dog provider organization.
Learn more at CDK's website.
12:15am - 12:45pm
Discover How to Pay for Everything You See Today!
Presenter: Help Hope Live
Location: Workshop
Did you know that you can fundraise to cover the costs of everything you see at Abilities Expo? From power wheelchairs to accessible vehicles, from adaptive bikes to home modifications. And more! Help Hope Live wants to help make this happen! Come find out how the Help Hope Live non-profit organization works closely with Abilities Expo exhibitors and others – to get our clients on their way to independence!
1:00pm – 1:30pm
Mindset – Reframing Challenges as Opportunities for Growth
Presenter: Billy Price, Co-Founder of BILLY Footwear
Location: Workshops
When life throws us a curveball it can rock us to the core. We ask ourselves, "Why me?" But the question can unfortunately be unanswerable. The future can look daunting, uncertain, and even overwhelming. So, what do we do? And where do we start? In this session we will hear Billy's story. At 18, he fell headfirst from a window to concrete breaking his neck and lower back. The fall caused a spinal cord injury and left him paralyzed from the chest down affecting all four of his limbs. His mind went to a negative place. But with the support from many, he chose to change his mindset. Instead of focusing on what he had lost, he was able to embrace what he still had, which was life. A life worth living and a new opportunity to add value and make each day count.
1:45 - 2:15pm
From Discovery to Diagnosis: A Parent’s Guide to Finding Your Child’s Voice
Presenter: Thunder Walker
Location: Workshops
Do you feel like you’ve been spinning in circles, trying to help your child communicate? This presentation is your roadmap to becoming the confident, knowledgeable advocate your child needs. From navigating IEP disagreements to finding support in your community, you’ll discover that you already have what it takes to make a lasting impact on your child’s education and future. Join us to learn strategies for building a meaningful learning experience at school and at home—one word, one IEP, and one step forward at a time!
2:30 - 3:00pm
Driving with a Disability
Presenter: Greg Paquin, Senior Rehabilitation Engineer Consultant
Location: Workshops
In this workshop, Greg Paquin with the California Department of Rehabilitation will go over the process of adaptive driving equipment, and what that could look like for your unique needs so that you can have even more independence in your day-to-day life!
3:15 - 3.45pm
Advocating for Access: Unlocking Regional Center Services for Individuals and Families!
Presenter: Reena De Asis, Founder of Inclusive Sol and Ereida Galda, Family Support and Education Specialist at the Westside Family Resource and Empowerment Center/Westside Regional Center
Location: Workshops
Join us for an empowering session for Californians navigating the state’s Regional Center system. Whether you’re a parent advocating for your child or an adult with a disability advocating for yourself, this workshop will provide practical insights to help you access and maximize the services and resources available. Learn how to develop a comprehensive Individual Program Plan tailored to your unique needs and goals.
This session goes beyond the basics of Regional Center services to focus on advocacy and uncovering less apparent resources. Gain strategies to effectively advocate for yourself or your loved one, guided by the expertise of two Inclusive Sol mothers. One brings two decades of experience working within a Regional Center, while the other shares her journey as a parent and founder of Inclusive Sol, a cerebral palsy hub dedicated to equity and inclusion for families navigating disability challenges. Whether new to the Regional Center system or looking to deepen your understanding, this workshop provides actionable tools, advocacy techniques, and insider tips to unlock services that promote independence, inclusion, and a better quality of life.
* Workshop dates, times, topics, and speakers are subject to change without notice. The opinions presented at the workshops are those of the presenters and do not necessarily represent the opinions of Abilities Expo. Workshop content should not be considered as a replacement or substitute for the services of trained professionals in any field, including, but not limited to, financial, medical, or legal matters. We encourage you to seek the advice of professionals, as appropriate, regarding the evaluation of any specific information presented in these workshops.
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