Students at Gengras Center in West Hartford celebrated the dedication of their own Able Table on April 24, 2025.

The dedication of an Able Table was celebrated at the Gengras Center in West Hartford on April 24, 2025. Courtesy photo

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On Thursday, April 24, the Gengras Center community in West Hartford came together for a very special Able Table dedication ceremony. The event celebrated the creativity, hard work, and spirit of Gengras Center students, who helped design and paint their very own Able Table alongside local artist Julie Bergeron.

The Able Table – a universally designed, ADA-accessible picnic table – was a collaboration between the students and the nonprofit RiseUP Group’s Able Solutions initiative. Students worked side-by-side with Bergeron to create custom artwork that now brightens the table and symbolizes the inclusive, welcoming spirit of the Gengras community.

The dedication of an Able Table was celebrated at the Gengras Center in West Hartford on April 24, 2025. Courtesy photo

This dedication carried extra meaning, as the table also honors students who are no longer with us, including Sania Williams, daughter of Able Table Co-Founder and RiseUP Executive Director Matt Conway. Sania was a beloved student at the Gengras Center whose legacy of perseverance, kindness, and creativity lives on through this project.

“We are so proud to see the students’ artwork and energy come to life in this Able Table,” said Conway. “This table stands as a celebration of every student here – and a reminder that everyone deserves a seat at the table.”

The dedication of an Able Table was celebrated at the Gengras Center in West Hartford on April 24, 2025. Courtesy photo

The ceremony was filled with emotion, reflection, and celebration. It marked an important step in RiseUP’s growing partnership with Gengras, as the organizations plan to continue bringing creative opportunities and accessibility initiatives to students in the future.

Special thanks were given to Able Solutions Co-Founder Debbie Williams for her vision and leadership in launching the Able Table initiative, and to Sania’s mother, Carmen Veal Conway, for her ongoing support of RiseUP’s mission.

The Gengras Center Able Table now joins others installed across Connecticut, each one serving as a beacon of inclusion, creativity, and community pride. In October 2024, West Hartford’s first Able Table was dedicated in Blue Back Square.

Learn more about the Able Table initiative at www.abletable.org.

The dedication of an Able Table was celebrated at the Gengras Center in West Hartford on April 24, 2025. Courtesy photo

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