DECATUR COUNTY, GA (WTXL) — About 1 in 4 adults in Georgia live with a disability, and many of those disabilities aren't always seen.
WATCH FULL REPORT BELOW:
Michelle Lavern Bossier is one of them. To many people, the Bainbridge resident may look like anyone else, but she lives with Crohn's disease, hearing loss and depression — challenges that aren't always visible to others.
"If you're like me, you have an invisible disability, you get completely ignored or you're, how do you put it, your issues are not put to the forefront like everybody else's. So a lot of times you feel left out and cast aside," Bossier said.
Bossier works at Bain Inc., a center for independent living, where she helps others navigate life with disabilities. She says her personal experience shows why conversations around accessibility continue decades after the Americans with Disabilities Act became law.
Paul Fryer, district deputy director for Rep. Sanford Bishop's office, reflected on the significance of the legislation.
"I thought it was a major step at the federal level for people that want to participate in society and want to have access to the services and public buildings that we all enjoy and need to be able to utilize," Fryer said.
The ADA helped remove barriers for people with disabilities, but Bossier says accessibility is also about understanding the challenges people may not always see.
"Being able to be informed that there are people who are different and being willing to accept the fact that we all have our differences in appearance and even mind space," Bossier said.
BAIN Inc. celebrated the milestone by gathering at the New Beginning Learning Center in Bainbridge, where booths were set up offering resources for people with disabilities.
Bossier hopes sharing her story helps people better understand the experience of their neighbors living with unseen disabilities.
Available resources:
Bain Inc.
Georgia Vocational Rehabilitation Agency
Georgia Telecommunications Equipment Distribution Program
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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