B. happensE. bornH. taking K. progressive N. failing
C. commonF. reactI. existence L. physical O. greatest No one knows exactly how many disabled people there are in the world, but estimates suggest the figure is over 450 million. In the United Kingdom, about one in ten people have some disability. Disability is not just something that (1) to other people: as we get older, many of us will become less mobile, hard of hearing or have (2) eyesight. Disablement can take many forms and occur at any time of life. Some people are (3) with disabilities. Many others become disabled as they get older. There are many (4) disabling diseases. The longer time goes on, the worse they become. Some people are disabled in accidents. Many others may have a period of disability in the (5) of a mental illness. Disabled people face many (6) barriers. Next time you go shopping or to work or visit friends, imagine how you would (7) if you could not get up steps, or on to buses and trains. How would you cope if you could not see where you were (8) or could not hear the traffic But there are other barriers: prejudice can be even harder to break down and ignorance inevitably represents by far the (9) barrier of all. It is almost impossible for the able-bodied to fully appreciate what the (10) disabled go through. So it is important to draw attention to these barriers and show that it is the individual person and their ability, not their disability, which counts.