Nearly 600 volunteers worked through the weekend to complete home repairs at 23 homes in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

It was part of Revitalize Milwaukee's annual Block Build MKE event. The organization provided $300,000 worth of renovations with donated time, money and supplies.

"We have porches, we have bathrooms, we have kitchens all being taken apart and put back together today," said Lynnea Katz-Petted, CEO of Revitalize Milwaukee.

For many, the upgrades are a welcomed breath of fresh air.

But for one, the transformations are life-changing.

"I basically was a house dweller; I didn't come outside much," said Shannon Jackson.

Jackson has partial disabilities, which require him to use a mobility scooter. His home did not have a ramp, leaving him unable to leave his own house without help.

That all changed Saturday when volunteers from Revitalize Milwaukee and Berghammer Construction built Jackson a ramp.

"It gives me accessibility to the outside world, which I really haven't had lately," Jackson told 12 News. "It is exciting to be able to move around and not have to rely on other people's help just to get in and out ... now I'm able to enter and exit at-will."

The project was special for Matt Iwanski of Berghammer Construction.

"It's a very good giving, it's a good thing to do, it's the right thing to do," he said. "We should probably do more of it in our community."

Watch the video above for the full story.

Step into Marjorie Roberts' home office and her pictures tell the story of the best moments of her life.

There is a picture of her receiving her doctorate degree in business. Then, there is a picture of her and her husband from their final trip to Las Vegas before the pandemic.

But the pictures also show a life Roberts says she will never live again because of what COVID-19 has done to her.

“You know, growing up your parents and the world tell you to go to the military, get a job, work, buy a house," Roberts said, as she looks at her accomplishments on her wall. "I did everything.”

Prior to the pandemic, Roberts managed a gift shop at a hospital in Atlanta.

“I was just happy. My life was good. It wasn’t perfect," she said.

Not long after she says the gift shop closed in March of 2020, she felt the symptoms of COVID-19.

“That morning I woke up, I was fine. I was fine, and by the time that the sun went down that night, my life had forever changed," Roberts recalled. “I just felt bad and the fatigue, and it just happened so quick.”

She is one of the country’s earliest COVID-19 survivors, but now about 20 months later, her battle continues.

Doctors found damage to her lungs, her liver, and she even lost teeth, since she had COVID.

“Seven teeth all at once, in the front my mouth," Roberts said.

A UC Davis study found as many as a third of COVID-19 survivors live with a symptom of the virus long-term.

Roberts says as a COVID-19 long-hauler, it’s hard to work. She is a certified life coach.

“I still have like no energy. I do walk. It took me months to be able to walk up this block," Roberts said.

Roberts says while COVID-19 has hurt her health, it’s also hurt how she and her husband get by.

“We went from a two-income house, savings, to him. It’s all on him," she said.

“We all know someone who has been directly impacted by this. Many of them are still suffering," says Chris Kocher, who leads COVID Survivors for Change.

The nonpartisan nationwide group is pushing for more government support for COVID-19 long-haulers, many of whom are now struggling to make a living.

In July, the Biden administration issued new guidance that said COVID long-haulers may qualify for government disability assistance, but Kocher said more needs to be done.

“This is a new condition. This is a new disease, so we need to make sure we are listening. The medical system is listening. To people who have COVID, first and for most, they’re the experts in what their bodies are going through, what their journey of healing has been," Kocher said.

These days, Roberts spends much of her time in a prayer room she's created in her home.

"This is where the magic happens," she said, as she looked at her Bible.

Roberts also leads a weekly support group for COVID-19 long haulers like herself.

“We stick together," she said. "Because we’re all we got.”

The truth about long-haul COVID is that at this point, there is much we don’t know.

“I’m going to be OK because have to. I have to, I have no choice," Roberts said.

While doctors work to find answers as to what causes long-haul COVID and how long the impact could last, those still suffering, like Roberts, say they can only try to move past its impact on their bodies, their lives, and their livelihoods.

At just 12 years old, Cody Unser was left paralyzed from the waist down.

“I was really depressed and angry,” Unser said. “You know, everybody has like an idea of what their life is going to be like… especially when you're younger, you have all these dreams and aspirations.”

Her paralysis was caused by a rare autoimmune disease called Transverse Myelitis. The disease causes inflammation of the spinal cord, the part of the nervous system which sends messages from the brain to nerves.

Unser adapted to the challenge of life in a wheelchair and then dove deep into the daring sport of scuba diving.

“It was the first time that I felt not only free, but also very confident, independent,” she said.

Unser and her late mother, Shelley, founded the Cody Unser First Step Foundation shortly after her diagnosis, to improve quality of life for those living with spinal-cord related paralysis.

On the third anniversary of her mother's death, Unser partnered with The Scuba Company to hold an event at the Rio Rancho Aquatic Center in New Mexico to teach people with disabilities the power of adaptive scuba diving.

Rio Rancho Mayor Greg Hull attended and participated in the event.

“This is just another example of how we want to make sure we're reaching out to the whole community – that we're being inclusive and making sure that everyone has a great quality of life here,” he said.

But inclusivity is often a struggle for people with disabilities.

“We live in a concrete jungle that's not always giving to people with disabilities,” Unser said.

The beauty of scuba diving, she said, is that it can be adapted to nearly everyone.

Twenty-five-year-old Cameron Lewis' way of life changed this past April when his leg was amputated following a nasty crash on I-40.

His doctor recommended he attend Unser's event to meet new people and better adapt to his new circumstances. Although it was his first time scuba diving, it's safe to say, it won't be his last.

“It’s a lot of fun,” he said. “It's making me work a lot of joints I haven't moved in a while. It's freeing, I love it.”

Yasmany Fuentes, a certified instructor and manager at The Scuba Company said watching people experience the sport brings him immense joy.

“They're just feeling weightless, the weight of the world, the stress, how injured they are, how heavy they are, however the equipment is…. it does not matter,” he said. “They're completely weightless. They're in complete Zen.”

“Our motto is ‘changing lives one dive at a time.’” Unser said. “It really only takes one dive to change someone's life.”

If you'd like to learn more about this program, you can visit their website at www.codysfirststep.org

Watch the video above for Cody's full story.

HARRISON, Ohio — Thirty kids with physical disabilities had the chance to try adaptive water skiing and kayaking on Saturday in Harrison. For some, it was their very first try at water sports.

Donna Bloemer had a lot to smile about. Her 19-year-old daughter, Katherine, tried water skiing for the first time.

“It's a huge leap of faith to let your child go out in very deep water, but she obviously loved it,” Bloemer said.

Katherine has Rett Syndrome, a rare neurological disorder that affects motor skills and speech.

That didn’t stop her from showing off her skills on the skis.

“Especially during COVID it took away a lot of things that she typically gets to do, and being able to go out outside and to have her safely experience these things was such a blessing for her,” Bloemer said.

That blessing was made possible by the Cincinnati Children’s Be-Well adaptive sports program.

Danny Meyer has helped lead those adaptive sports, including snow skiing, running and even wheelchair basketball.

“You name it, just any sport that you can think of, we'll try it and we'll figure out how to adapt it, to meet the needs of our patients,” Meyer said. “We've gone from one kid to now serving probably over 500 kids throughout the past year or so.”

Cincinnati Children’s reports children with physical disabilities engage in 30% less physical activity than national fitness guidelines suggest.

“I think families underestimate what their kids are able to do, just because they don't have a chance to try it,” Meyer said. “They don't. They're never exposed to it. So when we finally expose it to them, I hear over and over again, ‘I never thought this was possible for my kids. So thank you.’”

Bloemer is grateful her daughter Katherine gets the opportunity to see what’s possible.

“She gets to be a typical kid and she gets to do things,” Bloemer said. “People help her, enable her to be able to reach her fullest potential. And it is just so neat for her.”

To get involved in the program, text BEWELL to 66866 to get signed up for their mailing list.

CINCINNATI —

A disabled man is upset after he was told numerous times he could not use the power outlets at Fountain Square to plug in his oxygen machine.

Last Wednesday, Henry Parkel of Golf Manor went to reggae night at Fountain Square. He just got his first motorized wheelchair the week before.

"My first trip, I said, in my new chair would be to Fountain Square. What other place to show off something like this," he joked.

Parkel said he showed up an hour early to get a good spot and make sure he found a place to plug in his oxygen machine, which only lasts a couple hours without power.

"We went to the electrical outlets and to our surprise, none of them worked," he said.

Parkel said he approached a 3CDC staff member and was told electrical outlets are not for the public. He explained that he needs his oxygen tank to breathe then asked another staffer and was told the same thing.

Then he asked for a manager.

"She said sir, we do not allow people to use our electricity," Parkel said. "I came down there to have a good time, and I do feel with my disability that there should be some accommodations for me because I am a citizen of Cincinnati, and I once was a taxpayer and this is a public square."

Parkel said when he pushed back, he was eventually allowed to plug in.

"She ended up getting an extension cord, running it from the bar," he said. "She made it known: don't do it again 'cause we won't be able to accommodate you."

Parkel said he was hurt.

"Someone would have a heart. It's just that was so cold," he said. "Just because I'm in this chair and on oxygen, I don't want it to be a death sentence. I want to enjoy life to the fullest as much as I can."

A 3CDC spokesman told WLWT moving forward Parkel and others will be accommodated. The spokesman called the incident a "learning experience" and an opportunity to make sure all staff members, including seasonal staff members, are aware how to handle similar situations and provide simple accommodations to guests with disabilities.

Patrick Ober, Disability Rights and Advocacy Specialist at the Center For Independent Living Option said there are gray areas within the Americans with Disabilities Act.

"It's not a black and white issue, a clear cut issue of whether something is against the law or in compliance with the law," said Ober. "We often are dealing with situations where there's a lack of training or awareness about the flexibility that people have when they're trying to accommodate someone with a disability."

A 3CDC spokesman said anyone needing accommodations should check in at a concessions stand or staff member to make their request.

A statement from Hamilton County Developmental Disabilities Services said: "The accessibility of public spaces is incredibly important for people with disabilities. Increasing accessibility requires continual effort from all of us to recognize opportunities for improvement, engage with advocates, and work together to ensure that our region can be a leader in accessibility for everyone. Hamilton County Developmental Disabilities Services is always eager to work with organizations in our community on ways to improve access."

Anyone wishing to report a possible ADA violation can contact Disability Rights Ohio.

Every punch Donahue Fields throws is part of the fight against what life has thrown at him.

“I see the world differently; the world sees me differently," he said.

For nearly two decades, Fields lived without a wheelchair, without knowing how quickly everything can change.

"When I was 19, I was coming out of a store one night. It was 2 in the morning. A group of guys was fighting on the corner,” Fields recalled. "That’s when I hear, ‘pow pow pow’ coming from my left, and I look and all I see is this muzzle flashes.”

He says he ran like everyone else, but he fell to the ground.

"I thought I tripped, but come to find out, I was hit, but I didn’t feel it. I didn’t know," he said. “I tried to get up, but my legs didn’t move. I thought it was the fear, so I tried to psyche myself, like, ‘No, just get up and run and run and move,’ but they would not move; they just would not.”

He went from standing at 6-foot-5 to living each day from a different perspective.

“Every day, I would tell myself I can’t live like this anymore. It's just too much," he said.

A stray bullet hit his spinal cord and his legs had to be amputated. Then, within months, he says his dog was shot and killed right in front of him.

“I’m out of here, you know, so I tried to pop a whole bottle of OxyContin, and next thing you know, I woke up in an ER ICU with a tube down my throat," he recalled.

But in boxing, he found an outlet and new outlook.

“Boxing, punching, is all about technique," he said. "Some people see power; some people see speed. But in the mix of all that the fine details is the proper technique the proper way to do it.”

Fields’ sport is officially known as adaptive boxing.

"Over here they’re like, ‘Oh my God, you shouldn’t do that. You’re disabled, you’re not why are you doing that you’re broken already you’re fragile already,’" Fields said of people who don't approve of him taking part in the sport.

“So, if someone comes at you in disbelief, you prove them wrong, but mostly, I'm going to say, I'm going to prove myself first and then I'm going to prove them wrong,” said Tyrell Eddy.

Since birth, cerebral palsy has limited Eddy’s ability to walk, but the limits stop there.

“I was always a physical person,” he said. “Just having that extra outlet just created a whole another opportunity for me.”

While boxing is a sport, fighting can be a necessary life skill.

“We are, sorry to say, in a vulnerable position, no matter what we do," Eddy said. "Everything is against us, so we have to be able to adapt faster than anyone else regardless.”

When the Paralympics take place in August in Tokyo after the Olympic games, adaptive boxing will not be included.

Fields hopes that will change for future games, but for him, adaptive boxing's impact is less about what a punch does to an opponent and more about the impact it can have on the life of the person who is throwing it.

“Don’t let that chair define you because the world does a great job of doing that itself,” Fields said. “When they see you, they see chair, chair, chair. We’re more than that.”

TAMPA, Fl. — Buses, trains and other modes of public transportation have to follow the Americans with Disabilities Act, which requires people using wheelchairs can get around.

But the airline industry doesn’t have to follow those rules. They’re able to follow an older law: the Air Carrier Access Act of 1986.

Even though the act has been updated since 1986, many say it still doesn’t do enough to accommodate people with disabilities.

As more travelers are heading to the airport, now that COVID-19 restrictions are going away, there’s an even bigger push for the airlines to be more accessible to all, especially for those now in wheelchairs who served our country, like LTC Phil Price.

Price served in the Air Force his entire career. He traveled the world for decades, but his flying days were eventually grounded by his body.

“In 2000, Phil was diagnosed with a brain tumor, and he had already been primarily diagnosed with MS [Multiple Sclerosis],” said Phil’s wife of more than 30 years, Debbie. “The brain tumor affected the same motor areas the MS, so his mobility was greatly affected.”

Eventually, in 2009, his brain tumor came back. It was surgically removed, but the combination of cancer and the MS forced Price to begin using a wheelchair.

“It was advised that we don't treat the MS due to, that was the theory what was keeping his brain tumor at bay, so he did not take any treatments,” said Debbie. “So, the MS has slowly over time, that's what's kind of ravaging the body now.”

But Price’s body has some reinforcements: a custom wheelchair gives him the ability to move and to travel by car.

“The VA provides it, but it's about a $25,000 to $30,000 chair,” explained Price. “So, you're not talking about, you know, something that can be easily replaceable.”

Because of that, it’s forced the man who used to fly often to make a tough choice.

“We've chosen not to fly because of the risk of damaging the chair,” said Debbie. “We get off the plane, and the chair is damaged. There's nothing we can do about it at that point. I can't carry him. He can't walk. He can't transfer, so we would be stuck.”

The chair is one worry, but physical safety is another.

“They have to physically pick you up and put you into their airline chair, and it's just, Phil just doesn't want to go through that, you know, it's kind of humiliating. It's embarrassing,” said Debbie, turning to her husband. “I’m kind of speaking for you."

A study conducted by the wheelchair advocacy group All Wheels Up found that 80% of people using wheelchairs never even come to the airport because it’s just too risky.

The risks have become even more apparent since the federal guidelines changed in 2018, requiring that airlines report how many chairs they damage every single day.

The data revealed airlines are breaking and damaging an average of 29 wheelchairs per day. Law requires the airlines to pay for repairs and replacements, but there is no time constraint. This leaves many families fearful their absolutely necessary mobility equipment will be unavailable for just too long.

“I knew that it was a problem, but it was far worse than I thought it was,” said Price.

On top of the damage, accessibility throughout the airport and inside the plane itself is another barrier stopping would-be travelers in wheelchairs.

“Many people think that the ADA covers air travel, and it doesn't. The ACAA [Air Carrier Access Act], which was created four years before the ADA, covers air travel for people with disabilities, and so that's why there isn't a wheelchair spot on airplanes,” explained Michele Irwin, the founder and CEO of All Wheels Up.

Irwin and Alan Chaulet, a board member of the group, are working to get a wheelchair spot installed on new airplanes and usable bathrooms for people in wheelchairs.

“Some people with disabilities, like they don't drink water the whole day, they travel, they don't eat food just to prepare their bodies for that,” said Chaulet, who uses a chair himself and has experienced this firsthand.

“They cannot just book their ticket online like everyone else,” explained Irwin. “They usually have to call the airlines and book their ticket on the phone, let them know the airline that they're coming with a wheelchair, make sure that they're going to have somebody on staff at that time who has familiarity with handling a wheelchair.”

But changing accessibility could help those in wheelchairs feel less isolated.

“It's sad because, like, I missed my sister's wedding and my family went without me,” said Chaulet. “I missed some of my cousin's weddings. And, yeah, that's very tough. It shouldn't have to be like that.”

The Price family agrees.

“It'd be nice to be able to go in and have that freedom, have that freedom, not feel trapped,” said Debbie.

Irwin said more accessible planes could also save airlines money.

“One airline in 2016 spent $1.6 million on wheelchair repairs and placements,” she said.

A wheelchair spot would cut those costs and open the door to thousands of new airline customers.

“Now, that family, instead of driving to their destination, is now going to have that opportunity, which they never had before, to fly,” she said.

Bottom line aside, it’s equity families and advocates alike want to see.

“It's all about him feeling comfortable, him feeling like a human-like everyone else, not feeling different,” said Debbie Price of her husband. “It doesn't take just the people, the disabled people in the world to speak up to say we need better changes on the airline industry. It takes every day, normal people to speak up.”

For Phil Price, these changes would mean a trip to see his daughter living out of state in Atlanta, or the chance to go somewhere just for fun.

“New York or something,” he said of a place he’d like to visit.

And even though the day he will fly again seems far away, he has hope he will see the world from the air once again.

“Well, you have to have hope,” he said.

As the nation opens up and travel seems busier than ever, this family hopes every able-bodied traveler will recognize the luxury of being able to fly anywhere.

"I would hope that people would just be grateful that they have that freedom, because there's a lot of people that don't have that freedom. They've lost that freedom," said Debbie.