This summer, I spent time cleaning out my parents’ basement. Having lived in the same house for over 50 years, it was a treasure trove of old magazines, family photos, expired foods, vases and so much more.

One of the interesting things I came across in my purging was a binder from the 1980s about my brother. I know many parents and caregivers of kids with disabilities are familiar with this binder (I have a few in my house). It’s a summary of letters to the school, medical and therapy reports, assessments, and report cards.