So he’s off to school every morning now, like a big kid. But instead of the exuberance you expected, you find many days -- especially Monday -- starting with tears, or maybe a tummy-ache. He isn't faking.

Showing a little encouragement is an easy way to make someone’s day, and we’ve come up with a few ideas on how you can do so.

My grandmother showed me how to surpass the expectations that the ‘medical model’ had set for me. I was born with bleeding on the brain, which caused me to develop a type of cerebral palsy known as spastic quadriplegia, which affects both the arms and the legs. In spite of those circumstances, my grandmother determined to give me the best chance for succeeding in a world committed to maligning people who look like me. She did not care about the barriers put before us, and she instilled in me a fire to engage and push through them as she did.