Who We Are
You Belong Here.
Abilities Centre is a registered charitable organization dedicated to making communities more accessible and inclusive, so that every person can participate fully in community life and reach their full potential.
Based in Whitby, Ontario, we operate one of Canada’s most comprehensive fully accessible community facilities, offering a wide range of programs and services in sport, recreation, arts, life skills, employment, research, and education. We also lead research and advocacy on inclusion issues and develop scalable frameworks that help communities across Durham Region and Canada become more accessible for everyone.
Our approach is comprehensive, innovative, and built on a simple but powerful belief: when communities are truly accessible and inclusive, everyone benefits.
Why This Work Matters
Disability is not a minority issue. It is a community issue.
- More than 1.3 billion people globally live with a disability
- More than 6.2 million Canadians identify as living with a disability that causes pain or limits their mobility, vision, hearing, or cognition. That is nearly one in four Canadians
- People with disabilities and their families represent more than $8 trillion in spending power globally and more than $50 billion in Canada
- Yet only 4% of businesses are focused on making their offerings inclusive of disability
The gap between the size of the disability community and the attention it receives from the organizations meant to serve it is significant. It represents missed opportunity, unnecessary barriers, and a failure to recognize and leverage the full talent, diversity, and potential of one of the largest communities in the world.
At Abilities Centre, we are working to close that gap, one program, one partnership, and one person at a time.
What We Do
Abilities Centre offers a comprehensive range of programs and services designed to support people of all ages and abilities at every stage of their community journey.
Our work spans six core areas:
- Sport and recreation programming that builds physical literacy, confidence, and community connection
- Arts, life skills, and therapeutic recreation that support independence, resilience, and personal growth
- Employment services that help individuals find and maintain meaningful work
- Post-rehabilitation programs that support people transitioning from clinical care back into active community life
- Research and innovation that advances knowledge on accessibility, inclusion, and well-being
- Training and education that gives individuals and organizations the tools to build more accessible and inclusive communities
All of our programs and services are delivered in our 125,000-square-foot, fully accessible facility at 1 Jim Flaherty Street in Whitby, Ontario, and through community partnerships that extend our reach across Durham Region and beyond.
Our Impact
Abilities Centre has been a part of the Whitby community since opening in June 2012. In the years since, we have grown into one of Canada’s most recognized leaders in accessible and inclusive community programming, serving thousands of individuals and families each year and contributing to academic research, policy conversations, and community development across the country.
Every program we run, every partnership we build, and every dollar we raise goes toward a single goal: a more accessible and inclusive Canada where every person can participate fully in community life.
Purpose, Vision, Mission & Local Objective
Our Purpose:
Unlock potential through accessibility.
Our Vision:
A better, barrier-free life for all Canadians.
Our Mission:
Reimagining accessibility and redefining the way Canadians live, work, and play.
Our Local Objective:
Co-design innovative, accessible solutions that address the needs of our community.
Our Values
Inclusion is the foundation of everything we do at Abilities Centre. Five core values shape how we pursue it every day.
Person-Centred
We prioritize the needs and well-being of every individual in our decision-making and actions, ensuring that every person who walks through our doors is treated with dignity and respect.
Genuine
We are committed to communicating and behaving in a way that is authentic, honest, and fully aligned with our stated priorities and principles. What we say and what we do are the same thing.
Flexible
We adapt and adjust to changing circumstances, environments, and needs, remaining open to new approaches and ideas that advance accessibility and inclusion in meaningful ways.
Innovative
We challenge the norm. We think creatively, take calculated risks, and embrace change in pursuit of better outcomes for the individuals and communities we serve.
Collaborative
We actively seek out and value the input of others, especially those with lived experience of disability, because building a truly inclusive community requires working together.