Overcoming Obstacles – The Power of Dyslexia

Dyslexia is a learning disability that impairs a person’s ability to read. It affects between 5 and 17 percent of the population. A dyslexic child or adult may have difficulty with letters, remembering words and working out how to say and spell new words.

Although dyslexia is considered to be a “disability”, many of the world’s most brilliant, talented and inspiring people have had dyslexia. And many of them think that their dyslexia has played a large part in their success. Watch this inspiring video to see who is dyslexic and the challenges they faced on their individual roads to greatness. Instead of focusing on what they could not do, these people, and so many other less famous people with dyslexia, focused on their strengths.

Additional Resources:

• Here is a website that gives more insight about what dyslexia is.
• Here is a website that helps kids understand dyslexia.

Topics for Discussion:

• What is dyslexia? How does it affect a person?
• What challenges did the people in the video face? What character traits do they exhibit?

Take Action:

• What are your greatest strengths? Focus on your strengths, and they will help you to overcome your weaknesses.
• Visit the eHow Family website to learn about ways you can help and support people with dyslexia.

Teacher Features:

• Here is a link to a Critical Reading Skills worksheet that you can use for elementary school students.
• Here is a link to a Critical Reading Skills worksheet that you can use for middle school students.