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Graydon Tanis
Jennifer Courtney
English 2010
September 9th 2016
The National Ability Center
Have you ever took a second to think about how your life would be if you were
disabled? Have you ever considered how it would affect all of the day to day activities
and extracurricular events you participate in? Chances are that, for most people, being
disabled or gaining a disability would lead to some major changes in the types of
activities pursued and would greatly alter a lot of people's ability to socialize with others
that enjoy the same types of activities as themselfs. This is a challenge that the National
Ability Center aims to eliminate. In the article The National Ability Center Jennifer C.
Stotling states that: Nestled in the mountains of Park City, Utah, the Ability Center has
been integrating and including people who have disabilities in adaptive recreational
activities since 1985. This is just a small glimpse of what the organization strives to do
for the disabled. From paddle boarding in the summer to skiing in the winter the
National Ability Center provides activities that are adapted to those who are disabled,
offering them a chance to participate in activities that they may have once loved, or
always wanted to try. This also allows people that are disabled to go out and meet other
people that love to do what they love to do, along with being a physically healthy
program, it also is a social building

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program. Along with this non-profit organization being great for its consumer, it is also
great for the volunteers and employees. The National Ability Center utilizes many
disabled people as volunteers and employees to establish
more of a real connection to the community it is put in place
to assist. Along with being its own program, the National
Ability Center also works with several other non-profit
organizations (about 250 programs from all over the United
States of America). These programs range communal support that this program
provides. This also goes to show that they are not limited to one organization for
resources and that they will be able to provide for their clientele. That is the basic
function and definition of the National Ability Center.
In order to ensure that we are all on the same consensus as to what is and is not
a disability we must look at the definition of the word itself. Funk & Wagnalls New World
Encyclopedia defines a disability as: ...any condition (physical, sensory, or mental)
which impairs a persons ability to perform everyday tasks. As you can imagine,
activities such as horseback riding or swimming can prove to be quite difficult for
someone whose simple day to day activities are impaired. The National Ability Center is
aiming to eliminate one of the many social issues that the disabled are facing through
providing more of an equal playing field in regards to social skills and overall happiness
with the quality of life. One way that they are doing this is by hosting multiple events

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from fundraisers to just promotional activities to help spread the word about their
program and the challenges that the disabled face that many of us take for granted.
Some of you may be wondering: Why invest or donate to an organization that
has nothing to do with me or my personal interests? The truth of the matter is that,
although great for the people with disabilities, this program is also great for the whole of
society. An experiment done by a several Universities revealed the challenges that most
disabled people face with learning. They stated: Dewey (1938) posited that [disabled]
individuals have a difficult time remembering information learned outside of experience
because of the lack of personal involvement they have in the learning process.
(Experiential Learning through a Physical Activity Program for Children with Disabilities).
The National Ability Center realizes this and uses activities to help teach and instruct
people with disabilities leading to an overall smarter and more attractive society. Along
with just increasing the general intelligence of our society, this also increases our
thoughtfulness and our complete capacity for compassion and empathic thought
process. The National Ability Center uses many events to try and help people
understand this concept.
One of the events that this program sponsors or attends is currently on its way. On
Saturday, October 8th 2016 the National Ability Center is hosting what they refer to

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as a Red, White, and Polo. event. This event includes many activities that include:
polo, dinner, music and dancing, and a hayride. This event is taking place
at the Chukkar Farm and Polo Club in Alpharetta, Georgia. This event will be a great
way for people with disabilities to experience what a lot of people without disabilities
never get to and that is polo. Along with the participants being able to get out of the
house and do something, they will also have the opportunity to eat and dance with each
other along with enjoying a hay ride together. This event is one that will assist in bring
the community that is disabled people closer together and closer to others that may not
share in having a disability.
That is what the National Ability is and stands for, along with their aims and how
it assists the people that it is put in place to help. They host many events, one of which
is coming up shortly (Red, White, and Polo) and are hoping that many people, disabled
or not, will attend and show their support for the community and for their organization.
They also offer many different sports and activities to help disabled people live a more
normal and fulfilling life.

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Works Cited
Stolting, Jennifer C. The National Ability Center. Rep. no. 1698581. Vol. 29. N.p.: Exceptional
Parent, 1999. SLCC Libraries. Web. 15 Sept. 2016.

"Disability." Funk & Wagnalls New World Encyclopedia. Chicago: World Book, n.d. 1. S
LCC
Libraries. Web. 15 Sept. 2016.

Andrew, Richards R., K, Andrew Eberline D., Sookhenlall Padaruth, and Thomas Templin J.
"Experiential Learning through a Physical Activity Program for Children with Disabilities." US :
Human Kinetics, Apr. 2015. Web. 9 Sept. 2016.

"Red, White and Polo - National Ability Center." N

ational Ability Center Red White and Polo
Comments. National Ability Center, 08 Sept. 2016. Web. 19 Sept. 2016.