Building blocks for success
Empowering individuals to achieve greatness through motivation and inspiration.
My Story
My name is Francis Jackson and I was born in Minneapolis, MN. My mother is Debora Jackson and my father is Francis Jackson. After birth, my Mom noticed that something was wrong, but wasn't sure what. A friend of my Grandmother's named Mrs. Caldwell spoke to my Mom and encouraged her to take me to a doctor to get diagnosed. My Mom was told that I had a mild case of cerebral palsy. The part of my brain that controls all of my muscles was damaged. This left my Mom in a dazed state. That was short-lived, however. At this point in my life, my Mom would add a new word to my lexicon. A word that would be with me for the rest of my life. A word that would shape my outlook in life. A word that would keep me from looking for help whenever there was a chance that I could do it on my own. That word was "independent". Being independent become the foundation for all my later accomplishments. Having CP just meant I had to do things in a different way and, sometimes, work harder to do them. I am now a father of two. I have a wife named Melissa and we have a home that is 15 minutes south of the Mall of America. I went to college and received a degree in computer engineering. My 25 year career as a software engineer has included a stint at NASA. I was lucky enough to have people around me who believed in me and gave me support when I needed it. I tell my story to encourage others with a disability to not limit themselves or do anything they don't want to do.
Feedback from past speeches
"Best staff development I've had in 26 years with the district. "
"This was the best keynote we have had in years. Thank you. "
"I really enjoyed this session and thought it was powerful. However, this should be offered to the general Ed teachers/staff- I feel like inclusivity/reaching higher for our sped students is still a huge barrier "
"This was wonderful. So we’ll presented and inspiring while also promoting self reflection and hopes that I do not judge or limit others just because of my own initial perceptions and judgements. "
" Please ask Francis and other MPS graduates to return to share their experiences with educators. "
"I really enjoyed hearing Francis talk. I think it is important for us to have exposure to people with disabilities in order to understand their point of view. I liked that Francis gave us specific scenarios, then asked what we thought he did in the situation. It helped me realize that certain life experiences are much more difficult for people with CP. I did not know much about CP before, but now I do. I realize that life must be very hard for Francis sometimes. He is mentally capable of doing everything that we can, but sometimes he is treated very differently because of his physical abilities. "
"I absolutely loved Francis. I thought he was incredibly inspirational and I was amazed at everything that he talked about. "
