Some people don't have any choice about taking government assistance. However, if you are thinking that you can't work and don't bother to find out what is possible, you might well be underestimating your abilities. Plenty of people with significant disabilities have good jobs or businesses of their own. Corporations are increasingly learning that making accommodations and hiring people with disabilities is profitable for all parties. Computer technology makes it possible to work by voice command or with limited hand and arm capacity.
Computers also make home-based businesses more viable.
Relying on the government often means reduced quality of life. People with disabilities can tell many nightmare stories of struggles with the bureaucracy, having to fight for benefits, and getting trapped by arcane regulations or incompetent workers. Living on Social Security disability benefits earns you the right to medical coverage under Medicare, but Medicare has strict limits on what it will cover. The power wheelchair that might be ideal for you could be refused. You could need home healthcare assistance, but a rule that says you must be unable to leave the home could mean that volunteering at a local school two days a week might cost you your coverage.