Rio de Janeiro is hosting the 2016 Paralympics.
This is a city of wealth and poverty.
Famed for football and plastic surgery.
We're here to meet the people,
Samba dancers, a television presenter, Paralympians,
a lawyer and an ex gang member.
And to find out what it's like to live with a disability
in one of the most beautiful cities in the world.
At Samba City the carnival floats and costumes are all top secret.
But we were allowed to film one of the most famous dancers in Rio.
These are the Ambassadors of Joy.
They're are the world's first and only Samba school for people with disabilities
For the last two years the 1,800 members of this group
have led the carnival into the Samba Drome.
The Ambassadors are famous throughout Rio.
Vivianne is the lead dancer.
Frenanda has been a reporter on Program Special for the last 8 years.
Frenanada also holds the prestigious role of Drum Section Queen
for the Ambassadors of Joy.
The 2016 Olympics and Paralympics
will be the first to take place in Latin America.
Over half a million visitors are expected.
Most events are being held in an affluent district
an hour's drive to the south of Rio.
When Carlos was a teenager he traveled to Europe
with only 40 dollars and a soccer ball.
He performed soccer tricks on the streets of Zurich.
Saving enough money to come back and start his own transport company.
Favelas are the ghetto areas
home to over 11 million people in Brazil.
First built by ex slaves in the 19th century
they're often run by drug gangs.
Carlos comes from a poor family
but is lateral thinking and hard work
has kept him from a life in the favela.
At 22 he was shot in the back in a robbery gone wrong.
He was left paralysed.
He survives on a small pension and what little he earns from photography.
At the same time he's putting his youngest brother through school.
He can sometimes sit here for three hours before someone passes
that can lift him into his house.
His photographs have been shown in national and international exhibitions
as well as appearing in magazines, newspapers and books.
Deborah became blind after taking drugs for a pneumonia type condition.
She continued to work from home until two years ago
when all of Brazil's legal paperwork shifted online.
With no accessibility for her screen reader
she hasn't been able to work since
and is now studying Human Rights Law.
Ten thousand Brazilians play football professionally around the world.
These players are all blind.
They're vying for a spot on next year's Paralympics Team.
Blind football is five aside,
everyone except the goalie must have a visual impairment.
They wear a mask to even the playing field.
The ball has a bell inside so players can hear where it is.
The manager stands behind the goal giving cues to the athletes.