Is it possible to somehow bypass a disabled iPhone to retrieve photos, etc?

I've read so many questions & answers on this and just would like to get the truth: I recently retrieved a lost iPhone 5 of mine. The phone had tried to be broken into so many times, to no avail. I also tried all the pass codes I knew to get in, to the point now, where it's disabled. So here's my question; is it possible to somehow bypass a disabled iPhone to retrieve files from it if you've never done a backup? I've read so many questions and answers; everything from using 3rd party software like iexplorer to open the iPhone in Disk Mode on the computer, using data recovery companies, restoring a backup via iTunes or iCloud, putting the phone in dfu mode, to once your phone is disabled your only option left is to restore your device to factory settings. With all the research and things I've tried it seems that Apple has made it excruciatingly difficult if not impossible to retrieve files once a device is disabled. But for some reason that doesn't seem possible either. How could it be possible to not access files on a hardrive even if Apple doesn't want individuals to have access to them? It also doesn't seem fair. Anywhere else in the world, if you put a passcode on something you can do a simple forgot passcode, because that's what people do is forget. It's like they make the consequences for forgetting your passcode brutally unforgiving. If you've bought a device legally from the store and registered it, Apple can and should have some type of recovery options for rightful owners of said devices. Thank you.