One giant step for disabled children

Then there were the kids themselves. The ill-behaved, high-strung gang wasn't used to rigorous academics. Kersjes had spent most of his time breaking up fights, or teaching them how to ignore the insults from those who didn't see them as a real people.

But with Space Camp dangling in front of them, the students were much more eager to learn.

Kersjes integrated team-building activities into the curriculum, along with pop quizzes on the acronyms used at Space Camp and lessons on how to command a rocket ship. His goal was that they would simply make it through the mentally and physically gruelling competition; the nondisabled students who attended Space Camp typically didn't spend nearly as much time preparing.

But in the end, his students not only completed the week at camp, but – to their utter surprise – won awards.

"When you have great self-confidence, it goes a long way," Kersjes says. "The best thing that came out of the whole thing is that now they are taxpayers; some of them run businesses and have kids."

After their success, Kersjes started the nonprofit Space Is Special Inc. to help at-risk and special-needs children attend the Space Camp. Since then, Kersjes has traveled to schools in seven states, preparing teachers and students for about 12 consecutive Saturdays before they attend the week-long camp.

Space Camp, meanwhile, has added extensive facilities for blind and hearing-impaired students. Now, all children, regardless of their disabilities, may join.

Kersjes has made his organization a main priority, and gave up teaching about five years ago. A few months ago he also stopped coaching so that he could tour to promote his book. Now that Walt Disney Pictures plans to transform his book into a film, Kersjes hopes that will attract funding and enable more students to attend his program.

"We may have come a long way with mainstreaming special-needs kids since 1989," Kersjes says. "But we've still never really had a Special Olympics for the mind where they can show off their gifts, of educational value, to our society."

He adds that highlighting the success of programs like his is particularly important now, when Congress is debating whether it should increase funding for special-education students.

"The way I see it, if these kids don't get enough aid for special education, these same kids will need a lot more money later on for things like unemployment and Medicaid."

Kersjes says he always knew he wanted to write a book about his experience, so he just kept telling his story. Eventually, St. Martin's Press signed him onto a book deal, and brought in professional writer Joe Layden to collaborate.

Now the story is in the hands of movie producer Jerry Bruckheimer, whose lengthy résumé includes "Armageddon" and "Black Hawk Down." They're still in the beginning stages of developing the film, but Kersjes has already settled on one detail: who should play himself. "Ed Harris would be perfect.... He seems like a real down-to-earth, sincere guy."

• E-mailsara@csmonitor.com

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