Everyone Deserves a Place in the Action
Everyone Deserves a Place in the Action
by Meredith Sossman, Director of Development
August 31, 2026
IM ABLE is the mission…together, WE are able to ensure that everyone has access to life.
Every day, we receive emails with stories about people with disabilities who want to work out again, ride a bike with their families or play team sports with others. Every request is a story, a person and someone who just wants to engage in their life. Every request also says something like, “I can’t afford a $15,000 bike that would allow me to take my kids out for a bike ride,” or, “We went to the local gym, but it became clear that while it says ‘accessible,’ no one there has ever done a workout with someone who uses a rolling chair.”
I am the Director of Development at IM ABLE, and like so many of our friends, colleagues and grant recipients, I know exactly what that’s like. When I need to get my service dog to the restroom after a long flight, but no one has provided anywhere to go near the gates and I need to run (I can’t run) to get them relief, I realize that the world doesn’t always consider how a person with a disability might need a different setup than what was planned for everyone who CAN hustle. I know what it’s like to stand on the sidelines because no one thought to ask whether the workout, race or bike ride was accessible for those of us who desperately want to be part of the fun, the race…“normal” life.
And then, one day, I met IM ABLE. Everyone understood, hugged, smiled and welcomed me. I got hugs from young people who reminded me of friends from the Neurological Institute, where I spent so much time as a teenager in New York City. I met people without disabilities who understood, welcomed and listened. I wanted to stay and help, so they let me. I’m grateful.
And now, I’m asking you to think about the world with me by seeing every person who wants to join but needs our support. Please join us. Come to the IM ABLE Games on September 19 and run (or walk or roll) with us. Make a gift to help purchase a bike or a chair for rugby or tennis. Make a gift to support veterans and the community we have built and are working to expand. Make a gift to support a teenager who works out and finds friends at the IM ABLE gym. Volunteer to help someone complete Ruck & Roll later this fall. Come work out with us. Our classes have an extra dose of inspiration from the people you work out alongside, which keeps you coming back to the gym.
And while I’m offering previews – BASH will feature the same fantastic night this year, but we are also working with partners around the U.S. to simulcast it at restaurants and partner locations. We want to show them that IM ABLE is getting bigger, reaching farther and making sure that someday, every veteran, adaptive athlete and person who needs and wants us can find us right in their own backyard. Come join us. We are just getting started, and we won’t quit!
With excitement for what’s next,
Meredith Sossman
Director of Development, IM ABLE Foundation