Las Vegas Welcomes Opening of Fitness Center for Special Needs Locals

Nevadans with special needs are “hitting the gym” at The Ability Center, the first fitness center of its kind in Nevada. Its goal is to improve people’s quality of life through fitness.

“After I worked with a young girl with Down syndrome, many other parents started coming to me for help with their kids’ health and fitness. Chris Salas, who started The Ability Center, said, “Right then, we knew we had something.”

The gym is near Durango and Russell. It is made to help people with special needs improve their physical health and overall well-being.

Salas said, “People with special needs haven’t had an easy time getting exercise.”

Because of this, The Ability Center is all about abilities.

“Whatever physical skills you have, we’re going to use them. “We’re going to show it off and use it to make your life better through fitness,” Salas said.

It is the state of Nevada’s first sensory gym.

Salas said, “We offer a different place for those people to thrive.”

The gym wants to improve people’s ability to talk, move, and use their bodies through physical fitness.

Salas said, “We can change the lights, sounds, and images.” “Let’s say your son or daughter isn’t used to loud noises or flashing lights, but they want to go to a Vegas Golden Knights game. We can make it look like they are on flashing lights. I can push a button on my phone to make a sound that sounds like a crowd roaring, filling the room. So all we can do is get them ready for certain “sensory overloads.”

Credits: Fox 5 Vegas