Abilities Centre is an internationally renowned innovation and research hub where we develop, measure and scale programs designed to have positive economic, health & wellbeing, and social impacts on Canadians of all ages and abilities.
Inspired by the vision of the Late Honourable Jim Flaherty and Honourable Christine Elliott, the dream of Abilities Centre began in the early 2000s, with a group of accessibility and inclusion champions who saw the urgent need for increased programming and services for people with disabilities in the Durham Region and across Canada. Their vision was to create a place where people of all ages and abilities could come together and realize their full potential, and in the process, change the social fabric of our communities and country.
These founding champions began the journey of creating one of the most accessible and inclusive programming facility which would serve as a replicable model for other communities across Canada and around the world.
In partnership with federal and provincial levels of government, the Region of Durham and the Town of Whitby, and supported by the generosity of many people, corporations and community organizations, Abilities Centre opened its doors in June 2012.
Today, Abilities Centre serves more than 100,000 visitors each year, and delivers a multitude of skills development, employment, Therapeutic Recreation, sport & recreation, and training & education programs and services across Ontario and Canada.
We work alongside individuals with lived experience, participants, and local, provincial and national partners to implement and scale evidence-driven programs and services across Canada. Through innovative collaboration, our program and research teams have developed and tested concepts and ideas and implemented key research strategies to measure the transformative impact we are having on the individuals and communities we serve.