Some 54 million Americans are affected by disabilities. They make up 19% of the noninstitutionalized population, 12.4% of women and 11.7% of men. Disabilities are worrisome and life altering, affecting everything down to the most basic of actions. Things aren’t completely negative, however. People with disabilities are more likely to own their own business, plus several successful, famous people were either born with or had to adjust to their disability. Their successes act as further models for disabled people everywhere to emulate.

Most people never stop and think about exactly how having a disability can affect someone’s life. Things like wheelchair ramps, wheelchair accessible vans, sidewalk tiles for the blind and parking spaces reserved for disabled people exist for good reason. Often, people who must use wheelchairs to get around are forced to use alternate entrances and travel far out of their way in order to find ramps and other features that make buildings accessible for them. Standard home decor presents its own problems, too. Most cabinets are built at eye height for a standing adult, putting them far out of reach to anyone in a wheelchair. Counters, bookshelves, closets and desks all have to be modified or custom built in order to provide full effectiveness for their users. Driving has problems all its own. Foot pedals are not practical for disabled people in wheelchairs, so the vehicle’s controls must be moved to easy-to-reach spots and a system for either tying down or stowing the wheelchair must be provided if a disabled person has any chance of using it properly.

Those who are blind cannot, obviously, drive a vehicle, but they can walk to their destinations if they wish. Walking without any kind of aid is very dangerous, however. The person could cross an intersection too soon, wander into the road, or get lost easily. Special textured tiles added to sidewalks help blind people know that they’re not veering wildly in any one direction and alert them to ends in the road or forks in their path. Any disability that affects one’s mobility, such as being wheelchair-bound or blind, makes trips to busy places, like businesses, malls and restaurants, difficult. Finding an open spot can be difficult enough, but then they have to contend with the troubles they experience trying to find a safe path and navigating it successfully, often while surrounded by other people.

A larger section of disabled persons (1/3) are employed part-time, whereas only 1/5 of people without a disability can find part-time work. Many disabled people are able to successfully overcome most of their physical disabilities that hold them back in everyday life, allowing them to do most things that the people around them do. People like Christopher Reeve, who was paralyzed in a tragic equestrian accident, have risen to the challenge of their disability and given people everywhere hope that life doesn’t end just because you’re in a wheelchair.