Despite his weaknesses with written language, this dancer found strength in the communicative power of movement.
This Bollywood producer and actor has struggled with dyslexia since he was a child.
Dyslexic entrepreneur created his own company to help others with dyslexia find business success.
This story was submitted to us by a dyslexic teacher/tutor of dyslexic children.
Despite early challenges with dysgraphia, her renowned mystery novels have sold over four billion copies.
All her life A’ja Wilson has struggled with dyslexia, and she also struggled with anxiety and depression as a result of it.
Meet Alex Green, a graduate from the University of Hawaii, the father of two children, and a draft pick for the Green Bay Packers.
Alex Malchow was only eight years old when he and his dad began writing a novel, and struggled with serious learning difficulties. He couldn’t read, and yet it was his own idea to write a book with his father.
Despite suffering from multiple learning disorders, including dyslexia, this child prodigy became the youngest undergraduate student to attend University of Cambridge.
The challenge of overcoming dyslexia helped this basketball player develop the skills she needed to dominate on the court.
Actress Alyssa Milano overcame dyslexia by adopting Sir John Gielgud's method of writing down scripts to aid memorization, transforming her challenge into a strength and advocating for dyslexia awareness.
Author of children's books incorporates her own childhood struggles with dyslexia into her popular stories.
Anderson Cooper is a well-known journalist and TV personality on CNN, but he struggled with dyslexia at a young age.
Seven time Grammy-winning gospel artist began his songwriting process by drawing a picture of what he wanted his song to become.
Although she still struggles with this learning disability on a daily basis, Angie Le Mar has achieved great success as a comedian, actor, writer, director, presenter, and producer.
The first woman to complete expeditions to both global poles now advocates for people with dyslexia like herself.
This story of success was submitted to us by Joshua Brown and was written by Anna's mother, Sarah J. Brown.
Former Chief Justice of the Illinois Supreme Court is a champion for rights of all people, especially those with disabilities.
After leaving school at twelve after falling behind due to dyslexia, this photographer channeled his love for nature through iconic imagery of U.S. National Parks.
Even though Anthony Andrews’ dyslexia made reading scripts a challenge for him throughout his professional career, he never let it get in the way of his passion for acting.
Sir Anthony Hopkins is considered to be one of the greatest living actors. But how was he able to win an Oscar, two Emmys, and the Cecil B. DeMille Award for Lifetime Achievement? Hopkins credits his dyslexia for his interest in acting.
Ari Emanuel is co-CEO of one of America’s top talent agencies, William Morris Endeavor. He has worked with top Hollywood writers, actors, and filmmakers and continues to be an active talent agent.
Edward Irving Wortis, or known to most by his pen name Avi, is an award-winning children’s book author.
Shark Tank celebrity investor and real estate mogul Barbara Corcoran didn’t do well in school when she was younger. Her grades suffered because of dyslexia, which she wasn’t fully aware she had until her son began to have trouble in school in a similar nature.
This is a brief story of how a guy with dyslexia turns so called deficits into veritable strengths, from Captain Chaos to Mr. List, who eventually becomes the proud owner of a fine website selling online courses for IELTS.
Benjamin Zephaniah holds the title of poet, writer, musician, professor, and holder of 16 honorary doctorates—he also never received formal education past the age of 13.
British playwright and novelist Bernard Taylor surrounded himself with the literary arts. He studied at an art college in London and moved to New York City as a young man, where he made a living as an actor, writer, and illustrator.
The famed Taebo expert discovered his dyslexia late in life, but is still a successful body-shaping sensation.
Despite being dyslexic, this actor uses audio and repetition to memorize his lines.
Blake Charlton learned to cope with his dyslexia by developing humor and making fun of himself.
Co-creator, executive producer, and writer of hit TV shows Glee and American Horror Story, Brad Falchuk has made a career out of his talents despite living with dyslexia.
Through his hard work exploring assistive technology and helping others, seventeen-year-old Brian Meersma embodies the term self-advocacy.
Despite not learning to read until he was 12, this Emmy-winning journalist and author never let go of his dream of working on CBS's 60 Minutes.
Dyslexia struggles don't discriminate, even if you belong to a royal family.
For a woman who has made a breakthrough in DNA and cancer research and won a Nobel Prize, it's hard to imagine that she was barely accepted to graduate school.
Carrie Lofgren was a member of the national champion U-M varsity women’s rowing team throughout her career at the University of Michigan. At a meeting of the university Regents while a freshman (2011), Lofgren presented her views on the importance of university support services for students with disabilities. She said that next to rowing, support services set U-M apart from other schools on her list.
Upon publishing his first novel, Learning Without Reading: Extreme Dyslexia, dyslexic Casey M Tate realized his dream of becoming an author had become true.
Though dyslexia put many obstacles in her path, she has conquered each one while discovering that being different is a good thing.
Commander of the Apollo 12 mission to the moon had to repeat the 11th grade, but later thrived with proper accommodations for his dyslexia.
Charles Schwab is the founder and chairman of the Charles Schwab Corporation, which serves 7.9 million client brokerage accounts by aiding them with their investments. According to Forbes magazine, he is the 67th richest man in the United States. He is an avid golfer, a strong political voice, and the father of five children. He also has dyslexia.
It may be hard to believe that one of the most famous entertainers ever was a high school dropout.
Chris Heald, a fifth-year senior with the U-M men’s varsity wrestling team in 2015, was one of four wrestlers at U-M to be named as Big Ten Conference Distinguished Scholar Award recipients. 57 University of Michigan student-athletes received the prestigious honor in 2015.
With so many successful dyslexics already on the site, it only seems fair to mention Chris Koehl. A 21-year old hip hop dancer and finalist on Fox's So You Think You Can Dance, Koehl believes his dyslexia gave him the determination and drive necessary to successfully compete on the popular television show.
Christine Finn, a high‑school dropout with dyslexia, went on to earn a place at Oxford and built a diverse career as a freelance journalist, visual artist, and archaeologist.
The famous photorealist painter had to overcome many hardships in his life, but not without learning the value of perseverance.
As a child, this award-winning Irish architect discovered art as an outlet for the frustrations of dyslexia, eventually becoming an artist full-time.
Claudenia Williams dove into her first year as a teacher with a goal of breaking the traditional teaching styles from the start. Herself a dyslexic, she knew that in order for some students to learn, the classroom had to be filled with hands on and visual teaching.
Despite enormous success in the cellular industry, this entrepreneur still finds himself having to face obstacles that his dyslexia presents to him, including feeling shy and uncomfortable when speaking to a large crowd.
Both a previous strategic consultant and disability policy expert in Washington DC as well as a senior manager of LDOnline, Dale Susan Brown is nationally recognized as a tireless advocate and spokesperson for individuals with learning disabilities. As a consultant in DC, she worked to implement the Americans with Disabilities Act and make the Job Corps available to young individuals with disabilities.
Rather than viewing his dyslexia as an obstacle, Daniel Powter calls it a “gift,” that allows him to focus on his own compositions and experience music from a purely auditory outlet without the barrier of sheet music.
Dannel Malloy overcame childhood dyslexia—struggling with reading, writing, and motor skills—to not only graduate from law school but also build a distinguished political career as Stamford’s mayor and Connecticut’s governor, championing education and disability awareness along the way.
Chef and television presenter thinks of "dyslexia as a creative gene," not a disadvantage.
Author of the beloved "Captain Underpants" book was diagnosed with dyslexia and hyperactivity as a child.
This Dancing with the Stars performer and acclaimed actor used to fear public speaking due to dyslexia—but not anymore!
David Boies has been involved in many high-profile lawsuits in the United States, but he struggles with reading and has a very limited vocabulary. How is he a successful lawyer with those struggles?
David Flink has helped connect thousands of elementary students with learning disabilities with college-aged mentors who share similar difficulties through his non-profit Eye To Eye National
Founder of three airlines asserts “I knew I had strengths that other people didn’t have, and my parents reminded me of them when my teachers didn’t see them”.
During the Covid lockdown, Dawn Crowle, who was diagnosed with dyslexia as a teenager, started to notice just how much her daughter, Sophie, who was nine at the time was struggling with school work.
Daymond John, despite struggling with reading and spelling due to dyslexia, harnessed his strengths in creative and analytical thinking—excelling in math and science, thriving through a high school co‑op program, and ultimately founding FUBU and becoming a “Shark Tank” investor and motivational leader.
Not many people know who invented the Segway, the futuristic-looking individual transportation vehicle, but now you do. His name is Dean Kamen, and he is dyslexic.
Bueno Key, a short film written and directed by dyslexics, premiered in July of 2015. The film’s screenwriter Dean Stalham is an award-winning writer whose dyslexia wasn’t diagnosed until he was 40 years old.
After struggling with dyslexia all throughout her life, this romance novelist found success.
Deon Butler was a football player for both Central Michigan University and the Detroit Lions.
Founder of education startup Parallel Learning seeks to help students with learning disabilities.
Economist and financial commentator was hesitant to discuss her dyslexia until she read about other successful dyslexics in a Forbes article.
The following was written by Dillon Brennan, a bright young dyslexic who wrote in and offered to share his story.
Dominic O'Brien has matched his memory against the greatest memory experts in the world and has come out victorious many times. He has won the World Memory Championship eight different times, come in second twice, and was sixth in another.
Booth fell in love with acting at age 12 when he starred in a school play and decided he liked the onstage spotlight. But there was one problem—Booth was dyslexic and wasn’t looking for a future with so many words.
Science educator does not let dyslexia stand in the way of her dream to reach the stars.
For 59-year-old Duncan Goodhew, his career in the swimming pool was more to him than just a competitive sport.
One of the most influential and successful Hispanic Americans, Edward James Olmos grew up in a poor neighborhood in East Los Angeles and struggled with dyslexia all through his schooling and career.
From a student struggling with undiagnosed dyslexia to the mayor of New York City, this politician works to make resources accessible to all youth with learning disorders.
Eric McGehearty allowed his dyslexia to hold him back when he was younger. He couldn't read in school and the challenges he faced made him feel dumb. Luckily, as a 10-year-old, McGehearty became inspired by a summer art class and learned that he shouldn't let his dyslexia stand in the way of becoming a success.
Erin Brockovich overcame dyslexia to become the lawyer who won a $333 million class-action lawsuit—the largest of its kind in U.S. history.
Norway’s 21st Prime Minister is only the second woman to ever hold this position and also happens to be dyslexic.
Ethan Korock is an ambitious student with a passion for golf; he also has dyslexia. DyslexiaHelp has both helped him, and inspired him to give back to support others who also struggle with the disability.
This entrepreneur, who focuses on Corporate and K12 educational technologies, prevailed against dyslexia with hard work and a strong support system.
Ever since she was six years old, Fannie Flagg had wanted to be a writer, but her dyslexia delayed that career.
This singer went from feeling alienated because of her dyslexia to rocking the crowd fronting her Brit Award winning band Florence and the Machine.
Dyslexic founder of Shipyard Brewing Company found success as an entrepreneur by putting energy into his strengths.
Image source: The National
After being diagnosed with dyslexia as a small child, Dutch multimedia artist GabyGaby learned five important life lessons that helped him become a wildly successful artist.
Struggles with self-confidence due to dyslexia haven’t crippled this NBA star's promising career.
John Lennon's beautiful music with the Beatles would not have existed without his perseverance through dyslexia.
27-year-old Jordan Toma has a strong message for those, like himself, with learning disabilities such as dyslexia. He has struggled with the label of learning disabled all his life, inhibiting him to live up to his full potential. He felt as though he was not as smart as everyone else, and didn’t understand why he couldn’t pick up on material as easily as his classmates. He not only was hard on himself, but others called him “dumb” and looked down on him because of his learning disability.
Image source: Wikipedia
IndyCar driver Justin Wilson was no stranger to hard work and perseverance.
Karen Tillery never understood why reading caused painful headaches, teachers’ lectures were garbled, and new concepts were a struggle to understand.
She was distracted and couldn’t focus in school. When her grades began to suffer, her mother took the initiative to get help for her daughter and eventually Tillery was diagnosed with dyslexia.
Despite being expelled and struggling with dyslexia, this beloved actor achieved tremendous success in Hollywood.
Image source: Wikipedia
Did you know actress Keira Knightley originally got into acting because of her learning disability?
Entrepreneur and investor who stars on ABC's Shark Tank describes his dyslexia as a gift.
Despite a late diagnosis at age 39, dyslexia hasn't stopped this graduate student from learning eight languages.
Image source: Amazon.com
Image source: fordyslexia.com
Nine-year-old Lillian Harris used to approach speaking aloud in school with alarm and dread, but upon learning she has dyslexia, her confidence in school has grown dramatically.
This award-winning photographer examines the relationship between a mother and son who share a dyslexia diagnosis in her multimedia work DNA Dyslexia.
Spanish researcher who has dedicated her PhD research and fellowship to studying and understanding dyslexia.
Image Source: Pop Crunch
After opening up to the public in 1991 about his infection, Magic Johnson may be most famous for his project in public awareness to help combat HIV. But there was another disability Johnson struggled with in his youth — dyslexia.
Social justice advocate works to increase minority representation in the Dyslexic community.
Meet successful dyslexic and culinary genius Chef Marco Pierre White. Once called the Godfather of modern cooking, Chef White was, at the time, the world's youngest chef to have ever been awarded 3 Michelin stars.
It took Dr. Marilyn Bartlett until adulthood to realize she had a learning disability.
"I thought all my life everyone saw the written word the way I do," she said. "I had no clue the way you see words and I see words are worlds apart."
Image source: ESPN Media Zone
Not being able to read until he was in middle school didn’t stop Mark Schlereth from becoming a successful NFL player.
In 2016, dyslexic teenager won the Product Developer of the Year award at the American Business Awards.
With most discounting his early struggles as "laziness", this author found literary success with the support of his mother.
Actress and musician who was kicked out of school due to her dyslexia did not let it hinder her success.
Ice skating has always been an escape for this Olympic figure skater, a place where she isn’t defined by her dyslexia.
Image source: Michael F. Bennet Official Website
Despite all his success as a senator from Colorado, Michael Bennet failed the second grade.
Emmy Award-winning producer and director thinks "being dyslexic also can be an asset in many ways"
Overcoming dyslexia with the help of an encouraging teacher, this award-winning author nurtured a talent that created 13 books.
His fear of public speaking due to dyslexia did not prevent him from achieving success as an actor.
In an interview posted by Reading Rockets, author/illustrator and Michigan native Patricia Polacco recalls the challenges she faced as an undiagnosed dyslexic.
Image source: Wikipedia
Though "Dr. McDreamy" has had a successful on-screen career in the TV series Grey’s Anatomy, Patrick Dempsey’s childhood wasn’t nearly as easy.
Image source: Medium.com
Paul Fisher is artistic and creative, a whiz at writing computer code, a problem solver, and the founder and CEO of Buyometric. Fisher also cannot count because he has dyscalculia.
Paul Orfalea founded the American copy store Kinko’s, and remained the company’s CEO for 30 years. He built Kinko’s into a copy store chain that created over two billion dollars in revenue a year. Orfalea didn’t follow the traditional rules to success though. His knowledge of how to develop and run a successful business didn’t come from textbooks or statistics- but from first hand experiences and sharp judgement of character.
Academy Award-winning producer/director says her dyslexia led her to filmmaking and animation.
UI designer who created Stephen Hawking's speech software didn’t let his dyslexia impede his success.
From only seeing the negatives to achieving his dream of writing a book, this author chronicles his journey in "The World Through My Dyslexic Eyes".
Image source: BBC News
Swedish Crown Princess Victoria revealed that she was bullied at school because of her difficulties with reading and writing. These difficulties arose from her dyslexia, which she shares with her father.
Nick Damato shares his early classroom experiences through the eyes of a dyslexic, highlighting how some of us learn in a different way.
Image source: IDA
Quinn Lathrop is an amazing 11-year-old who embraces his dyslexia as a gift and is passionate about educating the world about his gift.
Undiagnosed until his 70s, deep-sea explorer who located the Titanic shipwreck credited his alternative thinking as the difference maker in the successful expedition.
Image source: Wikipedia
Robert Rauschenberg’s dyslexia helped him create art—art that uses words.
Image source: Canada Writes
Robin Richardson knew she wanted to be a writer in the second grade when she wrote a poem about a pumpkin for Halloween and found it to be one of the happiest processes she’d experienced up to that point.
Who among us hasn’t rooted for Indiana Jones as he ran to avoid being crushed by a giant boulder, gasped at the thought of great white sharks or dinosaurs plaguing society, or teared up as we watched E.T. fly home?
Three time Emmy-winning actress didn't learn she had dyslexia until she was 30, but has since written two books on the subject.
An independent school provided the support that public school could not for this biotech business leader.
The following was written by Tiffany Sunday, a published author and dyslexic individual who reached out to us in June of 2014, eager to share her story.
The former Denver Broncos quarterback, Tim Tebow, became an NFL sensation in 2012 by leading his team through fourth quarter comeback after fourth quarter comeback. What's less known about Tebow is that he was diagnosed with dyslexia.
Image source: The Yale Center for Dyslexia & Creativity website
Both a CEO and a doctor, Dr. Toby Cosgrove presides over the prestigious Cleveland Clinic and was once a cardiac surgeon. However, he struggled mightily in college because of his dyslexia.
An insightful student with dyslexia shares techniques he used to learn to love writing.
Tom Cruise was diagnosed with dyslexia around age seven and struggled with reading—feeling anxious, frustrated, and "functionally illiterate" throughout school—but with strong support from his family, intense focus, visualization techniques, and sheer hard work, he overcame those challenges and built a hugely successful acting career.
Meet Tom Dickson. You may know him as the Will it Blend? guy, the YouTube phenomenon who uses the series to promote his company’s (BlendTec) blenders. The idea is to show that Blendtec blenders are so powerful, they can blend everything from Happy Meals to rakes. Watch him blend an iPad.
Image source: Wikipedia
Many dyslexics embrace a creative edge that allows them to find wild success. Tommy Hilfiger is no exception.
Imagine dropping out of school in 11th grade unable to read, but with the dream of becoming a writer. That’s only a small portion of Victor Villasenor’s story.
Dyslexic himself, Vince Low decided to pay homage to famous dyslexics with his own unique art form.
For Vince Vaughn, making people laugh has never been hard. But not all things in life have come easy for the famous funnyman.
Four time winning artist of the Archibald Prize People's Choice, Vincent Fantauzzo looks back at his dyslexia as a blessing more than a disability.
From high school dropout to winning awards, this beloved actress and comedian has done it all despite her dyslexia.
Will Marsh discovered that he was dyslexic in the third grade and decided shortly after that he wanted to make a difference in the lives of others living with dyslexia.
William Hewlett, co-founder of Hewlett-Packard (HP), was expected to attend the prestigious Stanford College from an early age. His early academic performance did not project a Stanford acceptance, though.
Imagine that you didn't learn to read until you were twelve—and yet you went on to become the President of the United States.
This actress struggled through various careers in the arts and otherwise until getting diagnosed with dyslexia as an adult.
Success starts here!
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Success & Inspirational Storiesmike2025-07-31T17:12:07+00:00
