People who battled back against physical disabilities have been honoured as part of day to mark the struggles of the disabled.Chyone Harris, 26, said he believed that he would never dance on stage again after spinal injuries left him paralysed.But he added that after years of rehabilitation he was at last able to perform again with the Troika performance group.Mr Harris said: “After being off the stage for a while, getting back on stage with a disability was probably one of my biggest uncertainties.“But although I was in my wheelchair, I was still a part of the performance, so I still lived out my dream to participate in performance art.”Mr Harris, from Sandys, was speaking after he attended a reception for the International Day of Persons with Disabilities last Tuesday.The reception, held at the Bermuda Society of Arts at Hamilton’s City Hall, recognised Mr Harris and four other disabled people who overcame their physical limitations.Mr Harris said that his performing arts dreams were dashed after he fell 25 feet from a balcony and landed on a pile of rocks.The plunge, which happened in 2015, broke his neck in two places and almost cost Mr Harris his life. He was only 22 years old.Mr Harris said: “The fact that I couldn’t move as freely in my body was frightening, but I kept visualising myself dancing.”He added: “It gave me a sense of relief to know that I could still see my potential by visualising it, although I couldn’t physically do it.”He said he had since regained the ability to walk with a walking frame, although he still uses a wheelchair to get around.Mr Harris was also invited to join the cast of a tenth anniversary show for Troika in August.He explained that he performed a theatre number with acting, singing and dance he had perfected before the accident.Mr Harris added that he adjusted the performance to fit the limits imposed by his wheelchair.He said: “I really didn’t know what the outcome would be until I tried it, but I was able to step out on a leap of faith and just be confident.”Mariana Teixeira, 55, said that she worried she’d suffered a stroke when the left side of her body started to go numb in 2005.But, after a year of medical tests, she was told she had multiple sclerosis.Ms Teixeira said: “I was always thinking ‘please don’t let it be multiple sclerosis — I can take pills or therapy, but I can’t handle something that has no cure’.“But it ended up being that and they told me just before Christmas. Merry Christmas to me.”Ms Teixeira said that the progressive condition weakened her muscles until she was confined to a wheelchair in 2013.But she added that she was determined to stay strong for her family.Ms Teixeira explained: “I was not going to let my children see me as taking the easy way out.“So I got up every day, I put on my big girl socks and it was go time.”She added: “You have to swallow a lot of pride, but not in a bad way.“You just have to sit back and say ‘I used to do this and now I can’t, but that’s okay — somebody’s here to help me’.Ms Teixeira, who also attended the Persons with Disabilities celebration, admitted that she had trouble accepting her reliance on others.But she added that her family’s aide helped a great deal in her adjustment to a new way of life.Ms Teixeira said: “It is very hard, coming to that realisation, but you definitely learn who you can rely on.”Kim Wilson, the Minister of Health, attended the celebration and honoured Ms Teixeira for her determination.She said: “Persons with disabilities frequently encounter a myriad of challenges and are often subjected to stigma and discrimination.“Collectively, we must empower persons with disabilities to become agents of change, as their involvement can help create opportunities for everyone.”Valerie Wade, Jason Minors and Ryan Gibbons were also honoured during the reception.