Dyslexia is a condition known most commonly for causing difficulties in reading, spelling and detailed manipulation of words and numbers. It is usually seen and thought of in a clinical sense, being treated as a pathological problem, a learning disability. You rarely hear about famous people with dyslexia.
This somber image of learning disabilities and specialists struggling to diagnose it, treat dyslectics and find a cure is pervasive. So much so that the positive side of dyslexia is often overlooked, rarely considered.
Positive side?!? To dyslexia?! Yes, that is correct. Dyslexia certainly has a positive side. And there ARE many notable people, famous people with dyslexia. You see, while dyslexia does create problems and difficulties in certain areas for children, students and adults, there IS another side to the coin. Dyslexic people frequently exhibit above-average abilities in physical co-ordination, empathy, graphic and spatial visualization.
Many become famous for their abilities to “think outside of the box”, be creative and achieve unique solutions to difficult problems. Many famous people with dyslexia are artistically gifted and achieve high success in artistic endeavors. Apparently dyslexia can really be a positive thing, a condition that gives certain advantages to those that have it. So much so that some people speak of “The Gift of Dyslexia”!
Some of the greatest barriers to success for dyslexics are the low self-esteem and lack of confidence that came from their bad experiences at school. Their difficulties with usual reading, spelling and associated studies, put them in a bad light. Our educational systems have long demanded proficiency in these areas.
Students with difficulties in reading were once branded as lazy, inattentive or mentally deficient. Dyslexics were branded as “slow learners”, sent to the foot of the class. Disdained, denigrated and dismissed from serious consideration. Some were put off, put down and brought down by the low prestige these problems brought.
Others were diagnosed and helped to successfully deal with their dyslexia. Still others seem to have individually worked out ways to overcome the problems. By whatever means, many overcame their difficulties, used their gifts, achieved great things and have led exemplary lives. There are thousands of examples of well-known dyslexic people who have achieved this and more. Their names appear on lists of famous people with dyslexia…
Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia [en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_people_with_dyslexia] publishes a list of 48 “notable people who have been diagnosed with dyslexia.” The list includes Sir Richard Branson, entrepreneur, Cher, singer and actress, Tom Cruise, actor, Anderson Cooper, American journalist, Charles Schwab, founder of U.S. brokerage firm and Jackie Stewart, racing driver.
There is a list of “Famous People with the Gift of Dyslexia” at dyslexia.com/qafame.htm. Included are Alexander Graham Bell, Thomas Edison, Albert Einstein, Michael Faraday, Pierre Curie, Physicist (1903 Nobel Prize) and Werner Von Braun, Rocket Scientist.
The lists of famous people with dyslexia are extensive and very impressive. Many of the names found on such lists jump out at you, instantly recognizable. After reading a bit, one starts to come around to a new realization; dyslexia is not all bad. There IS a positive side to it. Many look at dyslexia as a curse. Perhaps they should see that it also has another side. It can also be a blessing…
Dyslexics should think about that, and make up their minds as to which side are they going to let dominate their lives. Will it be the curse or the blessing? The problems or the promise…? Will they someday take their places on future lists of “famous people with dyslexia”? Or not…
For additional info about dyslexia and famous people with dyslexia, follow the links below…