Growing up, Matthew Barkley didn’t have much of a perspective on the difficulties faced by disabled people. Then, six weeks into his senior year at SUNY Buffalo, he fell off a roof, breaking his neck and injuring his spinal cord.
“All of a sudden, in one second, you’re faced with all these issues,” he said. “It’s almost like you have to start over in a new life.”

After four months in the hospital, Matt moved back home with his parents-an adjustment in itself at age 21. ARISE Child and Family Service, a United Way agency, helped Matt and his parents redesign their house for wheelchair accessibility. ARISE also found a state grant to help pay for the expensive renovations.

Independent Living Skills, a United Way-funded program administered by ARISE, connected Matt with other disabled people who taught him how to navigate the community in a wheelchair. ARISE also placed Matt in a support group to help him deal with depression after the overwhelming change in his life.

Today, Matt, although technically a quadriplegic, has regained the strength in his arms and hands to wheel himself in his chair and has enough strength in his legs to walk short distances for exercise. He works as an advocate for disabled individuals who are facing specific struggles-such as discrimination by employers-as well as the disabled population as a whole.

Matt’s advocacy work has given him a new perspective on his own life and how fortunate he was to have the support of his family. “I’m a consumer of the system and I can identify with the frustration and troubles people face,” he said. “I’ve met others going through similar situations to mine without that support. A lot end up going into nursing homes or getting discharged into apartments that aren’t wheelchair accessible. I can’t imagine having to go through all that alone.”