Michael Kersjes accepts a special plaque event at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Michael Kersjes, center, author and former special education teacher and football coach from Michigan, accepts a special plaque after his presentation to workers during the Disability Awareness and Action Working Group, or DAAWG, event at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. From left, are Susan Kroskey, Kennedy's chief financial officer and executive champion of DAAWG, Center Director Bob Cabana, and Jessica Conner and Nicole DelVesco, DAAWG co-chairpersons. The theme of Kersjes' presentation was "Power of the Human Spirit."

Kersjes is the author of the book, "A Smile as Big as the Moon," which told the true story of how he worked to get special education students into Space Camp, a competitive education program at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama. His book was made into a movie in 2012. For information on Kennedy's diversity programs, visit http://odeo.ksc.nasa.gov. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett