nahum: i know, have a look. mayte: the water looks beautiful. nahum: doesn't it, just? maybe in a year we'll be here together. reporter: but first they have to get married. on the bridge. with the help of this man. ruben: this is the bride from cuba. reporter: ruben escandon is a minister. he'll conduct the service for mayte and nahum. he's b been doining bridge marrs for 14 years, though more regularly since donald trump became president. because visas are now harder to get. ruben: it started out with on the bridge, maybe one or two a week, to where we're doing now eight to 10 a month. reporter: : in the church next door, he conducts more traditional weddings for those couples who do have the right papers. ruben: oftentimes we have a u.s. citizen, u.s. resident that meets the love of their life across the border. and because of immigration laws, because ofof the river that rus down that separates the two, there has to be some kind of mechanism in place to bring those two lives together. and the bridge marriagage wors for that purpose. reporter: 17 hours until the weddi

nahum: now we'll submit the papers for the visa. but we don't know how long it will all take. and until we get the good news, we'll be living here. reporter: currently it takes up to two years for visas to be issued. but then the happy couple will be able to start their life together in the united states. host: just over a billion people worlrldwide have a physical or mental impairment. some 15% of the global population. 80% live in developing countries, and that can make things even more challenging. people with disabilities are less likely to finish school or get a job, and often end up living in poverty. down syndrome, or trisomy 21, affects an estimated six million people worldwide. it's caused by one extra chromosome, which can lead to a range of developmental and health effects. in egypt, one young woman is determined that none of that will stop her achieving her goals. reporter: rahma khaled has truly swum her way to freedom. the 23-year-old has down syndrome. here, with her new friends, she's in her element. rahma: i'm happiest when i'm here practicing with my friends.