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PTA Students Attend 2016 Abilities Expo in Boston

September 19, 2016

In September 2016, as part of their Introduction to Physical Therapy Class, Physical Therapist Assistant (PTA) students attended the 3-day Abilities Expo in Boston. For nearly 40 years, Abilities Expo has been the go-to source for the Community of people with disabilities, their families, seniors, veterans and healthcare professionals.

After the event, PTA students shared their experiences and photos:

Erin Kaye ('17), pictured left: "It was a great experience to see the advances in technology and see how wheelchairs, walkers and standers are always improving and getting more adaptive to be functional in the home and schooling. I never like to consider someone disabled because I always think of it as a negative term, and I was happy to see it was called the Abilities expo because it really was showcasing all the abilities they are gifted with even though they may not be the “norm” of society they still are able bodies that can do most all tasks with some requiring assistance or devices. I really feel attending the expo was a valuable experience and enjoyed my time learning new equipment."

Serra Wildman ('17): "Before, I thought that people with disabilities needed constant care, and to have someone constantly around to help them complete tasks. However, now I see that people with disabilities can do just about anything that people without disabilities can do. This expo did a great job on emphasizing the ability in disABILITY."

Group picture of some of the PTA class of 2017 playing wheelchair basketball with the instructor. L to R: Beth Auld ('17), Hannah Simmons ('17), Kristina Florio ('17), Instructor/presenter at the Expo, Serra Wildman ('17)

Mark DeFazio ('17): "I also now have a newfound appreciation for wheelchair sports. I watched a wheelchair rugby game, and it was surprisingly aggressive. All the participants had a special wheelchair allowing them to ram into each other with great force. They were all working so hard and it was interesting to see the skill of operating a wheelchair in an athletic situation up close. It was fun to watch and definitely not an easy thing to do, and I would like to attend a Special Olympics type event and watch more someday."

"This is me helping Karen stabilize in a racing wheelchair. I didn’t realize how easily they can tip backwards."

L to R: Karen Kelly ('17) and Mark DeFazio ('17)