From the outside looking in, it may seem like people with disabilities have a hard time making it through life.

But don’t tell that to freshman Nathan Gutierrez, 18, who was born with spina bifida, a disease which caused paralysis in his legs.

Despite being in a wheelchair, Gutierrez is still active in sports.

He’s played 11 years of organized wheelchair basketball for the Rolling Chariots, a local adult basketball team that’s been around since 1979, he said. As a freshman in high school, he was recruited by a junior wheelchair basketball team in Fresno.

Gutierrez became the team’s starting shooting guard and was the only player outside of Fresno County to make the team.

The team was ranked 11th in the nation and No. 2 in California.

Unfortunately, after that year the team folded and from that point on Guiterrez realized he wanted to coach professional basketball for the rest of his life.

“My goal is to be the first ever professional basketball coach to be in a wheelchair,” he said.

Gutierrez’s first head coaching experience came in his senior year of high school when he coached a North of the River basketball team of seventh-grade boys from Fruitvale Junior High.

The team went 8-0 and won the city championship for the age group. Gutierrez realized from that point that his dream was well in reach.

“My inspiration has come from my mom,” he said. “She has always made me believe that I can do whatever I want to do and not to let my wheelchair stop me.”

Like Gutierrez, Cal Campbell, 36, doesn’t let his disability stop him. Campbell was involved in a car accident at the age of 16 that left him paralyzed.

His life has changed after his accident in terms of finding ways to still do the things he did before the crash.

In 1998, he was involved in the Paralympics at Colorado Springs, where he finished in eighth place for hand cycling.

In 1999, he was invited to Blois, France, where he placed 14th in the world out of 44 countries.

Campbell plans on graduating this year and transferring to California State University, Bakersfield.

Sophomore Jennifer Sapien, 24, also was involved in a car accident that left her in a wheelchair 10 years ago.

Before Sapien’s accident she used to play basketball and skate in her free time.

“People shouldn’t give up,” she said. “Just because you’re handicapped, doesn’t mean you can’t keep going in life.”

Sapien now takes part in many church activities and is majoring in bookkeeping at BC.