Showcasing support and services available for people with disability, the expo provided a one-stop shop for the community to speak with providers and suppliers.

Ability Network Chairperson, Natalie Caruana, said she hoped the expo continued to grow and become a regular event on the Cowra calendar.

"We are really excited. This came out of an idea of the need for our participants, not just in Cowra but in the Central West, being able to tap into all the support services that are out there," she said.

"It's amazing how, unless you are in that arena, you don't know what's out there.

"Particularly new people coming into disability, aged care or early intervention having these annual events, which we are hoping this will be, to know what facilities and services are out there is amazing.

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"Carers Gateway for example is a great one, most carers don't even know they can be classified as a carer and what support they can get.

"So it's about understanding you may need those services and this is what's available, whether it's financial, respite, activities or how to navigate the NDIS with those services."

Ms Caruana said it had been fantastic to see the community's support for the day.

"It was really great to see the community come out and see what was out there, at the end of the day it was for them," she said.

"And to see the young kids come out, we had Larry Brandy, Indigenous storyteller and entertainer introducing them to the Wiradjuri culture, which was wonderful.

"It was a day of fun and get together and connect before International Day of People with Disability."

Ability Network CEO, Janis Redford, said the Expo showed what was possible in the disability sector.

"It's a great example of collaboration between the providers, which I think is so important today," she said.

"It can be just hard for people to navigate the sector if we don't have collaboration.

"We're thrilled there are over 20 providers here, that's an indication of how much support we've had from the sector.

"Everyone was really keen to be out finally after lockdown for so long and have the opportunity to talk to clients and their families.

"It is about giving people choice and being able to piece it all together and get a bigger picture of what is going on out there and what's available."

Ms Caruana thanked the whole team at Ability Network for helping to make the day such a success.

"The team at Ability Network pulled this together, it was their concept and they've done well despite the hurdles of COVID and the possibility of flooding," she said.

"You name it, we faced the hurdles and we were here and open today.

"We're really looking forward to this being an inaugural event but we really need to thank our national providers who Zoomed in via the internet because they couldn't physically be here.

"At the end of the day it is about allowing people to live their best lives and this is the opportunity for people to have choice and see what choices are there."

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