Abilities Centre, Whitby Ontario, Canada - Accessible-Designed Recreational Locations on Waymarking.com

The Centre is ideally situated within 47 acres of parkland on the shores of beautiful Lake Ontario. It is located within one km of the Greater Toronto Area’s (GTA) mass transit corridor (Hwy 401), next to the Whitby GO Train Station, and easy to reach by public transit - making it easily accessible for most of southern Ontario.


The state-of-the-art, universal design, 125, 000 square foot (11612.88 m²) facility houses three full basketball courts surrounded by a 200 meter, five-lane track. Fully equipped and universally accessible cardio/fitness and weight and sensory rooms will offer unparalleled opportunities for physical activities for people of all ages and abilities. Drama, music, art and life skills programming will transpire in the performing arts theatre, music studio, library and life skills room.


Resource and meeting rooms will provide space for the Abilities Centre to be a knowledge hub of disability services, program information, participation and inclusion research, and fully integrated community capacity building. The Abilities Centre’s close proximity to, and partnership with, the Town of Whitby’s Iroquois Sports Centre, Canada’s largest municipal sports complex, provides a unique chance to provide diverse programs and activities.

MISSION
Abilities Centre will enrich the quality of life for individuals of all ages and abilities through an inclusive environment.


VISION

Abilities Centre will, through research and development, endeavour to educate and inform all people on the need to celebrate the diverse backgrounds and conditions from which we all come.
Abilities Centre will provide an environment of equality and understanding, enhancing the lives of people of all abilities, setting the standard by which all future facilities will be held.
Abilities Centre will serve as an International Centre of Excellence in providing the framework for changing the social fabric of society and the way in which we view the integration of people of all abilities.

Facilities

The Abilities Centre is designed to provide physical rehabilitation, recreational, social and educational activities, services and programs to a comprehensive range of people of all ages. The inclusiveness of these "deliverables" will be made possible due largely to the "universal" design of the building and its facilities. For instance, training tracks will possess perimeter support rails, pools will offer easy wheelchair access, and resource areas will possess unique features to address both sight and other sensory-related impairments. Specific equipment designed to meet the strength and fitness requirements of people with disabilities will also be available. Imagine a health club that is specially designed to be completely accessible for people with disabilities and other members of the community.

This unique building will also provide meeting and conference room facilities in addition to a performing arts area - all with universal requirements in mind. These facilities will not only serve the needs of those with disabilities but they will also be a source of continuing education and training for various heath care professionals who serve this growing constituency of our population.

Other programs that focus on music, art and drama will also be available as they offer phenomenal benefits from therapeutic, recreation and social perspectives. Furthermore, the facility will offer "life skills" training, which is especially important for youth and young adults with developmental disabilities as it addresses the concerns that soon-to-be elderly parents have with children who need daily supervised care. Being able to offer these skills and a sense of having a "second home" provides great comfort to all who may in the future find their important responsibilities exceeding their own capabilities.

Accessibility Activity: Basketball, Badminton, Volleyball as well as a variety of social and recreational programming Time available: 7 days a week. Times vary depending on program schedules. Group providing the activity: Abillity Centre program staff Website for more information: [Web Link]

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