About the Ability360 Sports & Fitness Center
The Ability360 Sports & Fitness Center is a universally designed, accessible sports, fitness and recreation facility in Phoenix, Arizona. Our 45,000-square-foot center provides opportunities for people with disabilities and their families to be active, pursue their fitness goals, discover new recreational activities and participate in adaptive sports.
From someone trying a new activity for the first time to an experienced athlete preparing for competition, the Sports & Fitness Center welcomes people of different abilities, ages and experience levels.
Our Purpose
The Ability360 Sports & Fitness Center provides adaptive and inclusive sports, recreation, aquatic and fitness programs that promote independence, health and overall well-being.
We believe people with disabilities should have the same opportunities to pursue active lifestyles, experience recreation and participate in sports as anyone else. Our programs are designed to create those opportunities in an environment where accessibility and inclusion are part of the foundation—not an afterthought.
Who We Are
Opened in 2011, the Ability360 Sports & Fitness Center is one of only a handful of facilities in the United States specifically designed with people with disabilities in mind.
The center is owned and operated by Ability360, an Arizona-based nonprofit Center for Independent Living that has served people with disabilities since 1981. The Sports & Fitness Center is located on the Ability360 campus in Phoenix, creating a unique community where recreation, fitness and disability-related programs and services come together in one location.
Today, the center serves people of all abilities through memberships, fitness programs, adaptive sports, aquatics, recreation and community events.
Built for Greater Access
Accessibility was considered from the beginning when the Sports & Fitness Center was designed. The result is a facility that goes beyond many traditional approaches to accessibility and gives people with a wide range of disabilities greater opportunities to participate independently.
The center brings together accessible fitness, aquatics, indoor sports, recreation and adaptive equipment within one facility. Just as importantly, our staff understands disability and adaptive recreation and works to help members find activities that match their interests and goals.
Our History
The idea for the Sports & Fitness Center grew from a need within Arizona's disability and adaptive sports communities.
In the late 1990s and early 2000s, local athletes with disabilities often struggled to find consistent, accessible and welcoming places to practice and compete. Leaders and athletes within Ability360 recognized an opportunity to create something different: a facility designed from the beginning around the people who would use it.
After years of planning, advocacy, fundraising and community support, construction began in 2010. The 45,000-square-foot facility was completed in 2011, establishing a permanent home for accessible fitness, recreation and adaptive sports in Phoenix.
Since then, the Sports & Fitness Center has continued to grow alongside the community it serves, adding new programs, sports and recreation opportunities based on the interests of athletes, members and participants.
Growing Beyond the Fitness Center
Our commitment to recreation extends beyond the walls of the Sports & Fitness Center.
Through 360Outdoors, Ability360 provides opportunities to experience outdoor recreation, including activities such as hiking, mountain biking, kayaking, rock climbing, whitewater rafting and more.
Ability360 also provides programming at Telephone Pioneer Park through a partnership with the City of Phoenix Parks and Recreation Department, expanding opportunities for accessible recreation in the community.
Together, these programs create more ways for people with disabilities to get active, try something new, build skills, compete and connect with others.
Find Your Way to Get Active
Whether you're interested in working out, joining a fitness class, getting in the pool, trying an adaptive sport or exploring the outdoors, there are many ways to get involved with Ability360 Sports & Fitness.
People of all abilities are welcome, and affordable memberships, discounted military memberships and scholarship opportunities help make participation more accessible.