Dyslexia in K

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With my daughter having a dyslexic component, I felt compelled to find out more. I researched on the Internet, asked questions of special education teachers, doctors, and parents of children with dyslexia. I found that dyslexia is absolutely unbiased! Anyone can have dyslexia. It is estimated between 5 - 10 per cent of the population as having dyslexia. There is no correlation between dyslexia and nationality, ethnicity, race, or IQ. Dyslexia does have a genetic component though, so it can run in families.

I was concerned with my daughter’s future. Would she ever be able to have a successful career? What could she do? Interestingly, I found there are a number of famous and successful people who have dyslexia. My daughter could be a comedian like Robin Williams, Vince Vaughn, Jay Leno, and Whoopi Goldberg. She could be a famous actor like Patrick Dempsey, Keanu Reeves and Tom Cruise or be an inventor like Alexander Graham Bell. There are Nobel Prize winners who had/have dyslexia. Pierre Curie was a physicist and won the Nobel Prize in 1903. Carol Greider was a molecular biologist who won the Nobel Prize in Medicine recently in 2009! These people are an example of how a person with a disability can overcome his or her learning difference and be successful, accomplished adults. My daughter can do or be anyone she wants to be!

The following websites provide information on the multitude of famous, successful people with dyslexia and inspiring stories of ordinary people. Famous Dyslexic People lists many people we know have dyslexia and many that were a surprise. It goes to show how prevalent the disability is. The Gift goes to a similar sight which lists many famous people and how to view dyslexia as a gift. Peter’s Story, My Dyslexia, and True Stories are links to everyday, ordinary people and their experiences with having dyslexia. They are very inspiring!