Did you know, North Carolina has a Council on Developmental Disabilities? More than half of it is made up of people with intellectual or other developmental disabilities or their family members. Our Rachel Boyd introduces us to a woman on that council who is working to make sure people like her don't get overlooked. Sitting down you wouldn't notice anything different about Cheryl Powell. I don't think much about it. I have I think it’s obvious because it's a physical disability, but it doesn't stop me from living my life. Cheryl was born with cerebral palsy and it's the result of brain damage while developing as a baby.

I wish more people who think I'm suffering would know the only thing I’m suffering from is maybe people not knowing that. Yes, I have a disability, but it hasn't ruined my life as far as disabilities go. She says she's blessed as being independent but did not realize others with more severe disabilities are not as fortunate to be able to do that until she got into advocacy.

She had no idea about all the issues that face this community and she began to realize how much an outsider would never know unless something directly affected them. I don't necessarily think about it and it seems to be the case with little things. I wish I could wear dresses. But I really love shoes. I mean, they're beautiful. And I can wear them. But there are serious issues like the Registry of Unmet Needs, which is a waiting list of people with disabilities who cannot get the services they need to live their lives in North Carolina. It's currently 14,000 people long. Some people wait up to 10 years to get the services. Some people have passed away on that waitlist.

Cheryl serves on the North Carolina Council on Developmental Disabilities where she and others educate lawmakers and the public. But the progress being made is barely a dent as people with disabilities are seen as less than other people. That is a systematic issue. That's not something we can solve easily. But she says sometimes the only way to understand issues is to walk a mile in her shoes. I could talk you all day about not just being able to get into a building but until it's you facing getting into bed or making sure to be able to open the door, you don’t understand. Even for her sometimes it's hard to see past the ramp in her own driveway. You're just now seeing others are facing these in some way. I was made aware and while a solution may not be fast or easy, it is possible if everyone works together.