New York City hosted its first parade supporting people with disabilities on Sunday, with more than 3,000 participants heading up Broadway.

"We're here full force," said rapper Namel Norris, 33, in a wheelchair after being shot in the Bronx and paralyzed as a teenager. "I thought my life was over, but music is my calling I have a purpose in life."

People in wheelchairs and with guide dogs and parents carrying their disabled children marched during a hot day through the center of Manhattan after Mayor Bill de Blasio kicked off the event.