Unemployment is a big problem in our society. With so many able-bodied people looking for work, some employers feel it is just too risky to hire a disabled person. They prefer to play it safe. Many disabled people say "getting in the door" is the hardest part of finding a job. Once they have a job they can show what they can do. But it's hard to prove yourself if you're never given a chance.

Education

Education and literacy are important when trying to find a job. Some people with disabilities manage to get a good education. They go to university or technical college. Today, people who are blind or in wheelchairs hold many important jobs. They are lawyers, doctors, business people or teachers. But many other disabled people have poorer educations. Cindy Knight, who has rheumatoid arthritis, had to give up university because the physical strain of getting around was too hard on her. Wayne Cantwell, who has epilepsy, had hundreds of seizures when he was in grade school. The seizures would tire him out and make it difficult for him to focus on his school work. For Cindy and Wayne, hard work could not get them the educations they wanted. Without an education, the chances of getting a higher paying job are small. Cindy and Wayne and many other disabled people know this. They go to night school for upgrading in the hope that their job prospects will improve. And, of course, they try to improve their basic literacy skills.

All of these ideas play a role in the lives of the people profiled below. Their situations have been very different. Sometimes it seems they have nowhere to turn. But they have all kept a positive attitude. None of them has given up on life.

Cindy Knight

Cindy Knight was born in 1964 in Twillingate, Newfoundland. When she was 12, Cindy had a common childhood accident: she fell off her bike. But what happened next was not at all common.

When Cindy tumbled off her bike, she landed on her hands. At first, she did not seem badly hurt. But her hands did not heal properly. Weeks later, she still had trouble moving them. Doctors did tests and found out that Cindy had rheumatoid arthritis. Cindy was shocked when she was told. "I thought arthritis was an old person's disease," she says. "I didn't think children could get it."