All Success Stories

Odedra, despite his weaknesses with written language, found his strength in the communicative power of dance.

In order to offer assistance to dyslexic entrepreneurs, Norris set up his own company, Horatio Investments, which has $172 million to invest in start-up companies run by those with dyslexia.

It’s been 100 years since author Agatha Christie created the famous private detective Hercule Poirot and launched her career as one of the most successful authors of her time.

This father-son duo have written a bestselling story about having the courage to overcome hardship -- and it was all inspired by a learning disability.

A now successful author from Kalamazoo, Michigan reflects on her struggles in school and how she overcame them.

Anderson Cooper is a well-known journalist and TV personality on CNN, but he struggled with dyslexia at a young age.

Andrew Dornenburg’s path to success in the culinary world has been anything but linear.

Ann Bancroft’s life is full of firsts: In 1986, she became the first woman to cross the ice of the North Pole, traveling 1,000 miles by dogsled.

Imagine you were 12 and were asked to leave schools because you were dyslexic. That’s what Ansel Adams went through when he was young.

How was Anthony Hopkins able to win an Oscar, two Emmys, and the Cecil B. DeMille Award for Lifetime Achievement? He credits his dyslexia for his interest in acting.

Edward Irving Wortis, or known to most by his pen name Avi, is an award-winning children’s book author.

Hear a young actress discuss her character's, as well as her own, life with dyslexia.

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.

The famed Taebo expert discovered his dyslexia late in life, but is still a successful body-shaping sensation.

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.

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.

Channing Tatum struggled with both ADHD and dyslexia as a kid growing up. He was placed in the special education classroom with children who had Down Syndrome and autism because of his learning disabilities.

Charles Schwab, the 67th richest man in America and one of the world’s most influential and esteemed businessmen, credits his success to his dyslexia.

It may be hard to believe that one of the most famous entertainers ever was a high school dropout.

Christine Finn, a dyslexia high school dropout, spends most of her working life as a freelance journalist, including for The Guardian and British Broadcasting Corporation.

The famous photorealist painter had to overcome many hardships in his life, but not without learning the value of perseverance.

Teachers play a vital role in recognizing if a student is showing signs of a learning impairment. They can accommodate for a child’s learning disability in a variety of ways- providing additional worksheets, introducing a topic through a different angle, and other supplementary material.

Craig McCaw took over the family business after his father passed away, building a $12.6 billion cellular company that began in his Stanford dorm room.

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.

Growing up in Peterborough, England, Danny Boome struggled greatly with math, was known for having a shorter attention span than most, and found reading aloud to be a genuine nightmare.

"Try to remember that being unsuccessful in school doesn’t automatically mean you’ll be unsuccessful in life. Lots of people who didn’t excel in school still went on to have successful lives."

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?

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.

Deirdre Silvestri made her dream of becoming an author come true. She is severely dyslexic, and it was well into her adult life until she was able to read well.

This was written by Dillon Brennan, a bright young dyslexic who wrote in and offered to share his story.

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.

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.

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.

Erna Solberg, a dyslexic, has been Norway’s 21st Prime Minister since 2013 and is only the second woman to ever hold this position.

Ever since she was six years old, Fannie Flagg had wanted to be a writer, but her dyslexia delayed that career.

The following was written by a very ambitious, intelligent, and confident dyslexic law student who got in touch with us via Reddit in May of 2013 and offered to share his remarkable story.

Despite struggling with learning disabilities, Fred Epstein became one of the most innovative neurosurgeons in the pediatric field.

Gaston Caperton was elected as governor of West Virginia and served from 1989 until 1997. During his two terms, he emphasized that education was his first priority.

American actor and comedian George Burns famously wrote “For me the toughest thing about dyslexia was learning how to spell it”. His comedic charm and successful television career make it hard to imagine him struggling with a learning disability. But Burns, who remained undiagnosed for most of his life, was constantly faced with anxiety and frustration during his career. The young George Burns struggled in school from the start.

Even one of the world’s greatest divers ever has overcome some setbacks.

Award-winning designer Henry Franks has found great success by incorporating his dyslexia into his work.

Ever wonder how IKEA came up with unique Swedish names for all of its furniture? It was from its founder, Ingvar Kamprad, who is dyslexic.

Although Horner has had a very prolific career as a renowned palaeontologist, the road to where he is now has been a rocky one.

Middle-school dyslexic student ​Jake Sage combines a positive attitude and hard work with personalized strategies to succeed both in and outside of the classroom.

Now a common name in climate change discourse, James Lovelock became famous as the founder of the Gaia hypothesis, but is also known for his stance on global warming.

James Van Der Beek has had success in show business despite his challenges with dyslexia.

Comedian and former host of The Tonight Show Jay Leno believes that hard work, perseverance, humor, and a positive attitude have been the driving factors for his success in show business and overcoming dyslexia.

Jenny Dearborn, current Chief Learning Officer at global tech company SAP, overcame more than the gender gap associated with STEM careers to be where she is now.

Many of us have favorite books from our childhoods that we think of in times of nostalgia, but when it comes to remembering these impactful tales, we almost always remember the drawings that bring the stories to life rather than the words themselves.

JF Lawton is a prolific screenwriter, producer, and director from Riverside, California. Before he became a popular screenwriter, he suffered from severe dyslexia as a child, making school life difficult.

Now back at the top of yet another multi million dollar cosmetics company, Jo Malone is speaking out about her dyslexia. She has said that the learning disability was never disabling, but a gift which allowed her to think creatively and face failure with an open mind.

It took a couple of large setbacks for John Chambers to realize that he could overcome anything.

This renowned author notes that his dyslexia is an advantage in his writing career.

Despite his early struggles, this dyslexic writer went on to graduate from Brown University, where he received an honors degree in English Literature.

Jovan Haye overcame dyslexia (and several other obstacles) to become a professional athlete.

Karen Tillery never understood why reading caused painful headaches, teachers’ lectures were garbled, and new concepts were a struggle to understand.

Did you know actress Keira Knightley originally got into acting because of her learning disability?

Laura Grey is a graduate student at the University of Michigan’s School of Information, and she has found her niche in learning new languages.

Leana Greene, CEO of the world’s largest parenting video library Kids in the House, grew up thinking being different meant being less. Starting at age six, she watched as her classmates seemed to grasp spelling and reading just fine, while she continued to struggle at a slower pace.

Lindsay Wagner became a household name in the 1970s due to her role as the main character of the hit TV show The Bionic Woman. Her interest in acting developed as a child, when she could express and cope with her emotions in acting classes—trying emotions in both her family and academic life.

Both a lawyer and consultant for disability accommodations in the academic world, Liz Ball has accomplished a lot for those with learning disabilities.

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.

Not being able to read until he was in middle school didn’t stop Mark Schlereth from becoming a successful NFL player.

Novelist Max Brooks comes from Hollywood parents Mel Brooks and Anne Bancroft, but his life has been far from glamorous.

Despite all his success as a senator from Colorado, Michael Bennet failed the second grade.

A winner of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, founder of the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, and the former White House Chief of Protocol, Nancy Brinker has had an incredible role in advocating for safety, health, and the overall prosperity of our nation and modern world

Throughout her 20 years in the industry, her short films and documentaries have been aired on TV programs including HBO as well as online news outlets.

English singer, songwriter, and talented musician, Noel Gallagher is best known for his stardom arising from the rock band Oasis. Gallagher is less known for having dyslexia, a learning disability that has affected his life in a myriad of ways.

Award-winning author of 13 books, including multiple best-selling trilogies, African-American female Octavia Butler proved her race and gender did not hold her back from doing what she loved-- and neither did her dyslexia.

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.

This world-renowned dyslexic artist found his calling in glassblowing.

This Pulitzer Prize winning poet overcame dyslexia by inventing a new way to read.

Grandchild to the queen of England, Princess Beatrice has spent much of her adult life working with organizations that focus on childhood education and support for learning difficulties such as dyslexia, a learning disability she was diagnosed with at age seven.

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.

The designer and developer of Quora battled dyslexia, but overcame it when she discovered her love for programming.

What is Branson’s secret to success? Dyslexia. What many people may consider to be a weakness, Branson considers his greatest strength.

Richard Ford is an American novelist and short-story writer, best known for the novel Sportswriter (and its sequels) and the short-story series Rock Springs.

This Hollywood writer wrote and directed Oscar-winning films, such as “Kramer vs. Kramer” and “Places in the Heart,” despite suffering from severe dyslexia throughout his life.

This poet overcame dyslexia to pursue her greatest passion: writing.

Rossie Stone once was a young student struggling in school due to his dyslexia, trying every technique in the book with no success.

Learning a second language isn’t an easy task, but for Mexican-born actress Salma Hayek, it wasn’t impossible, even with her learning disability.

A graduate of the University of Portsmouth with a degree in graphic design, Barclay has combined his experiences with dyslexia and his interest in typographic design into I Wonder What It’s Like to be Dyslexic, a book which describes and visually depicts his experience of what it’s like to read. Barclay, using his own experience with dyslexia, manipulates and modifies text on the pages of his book to create a difficult reading journey for its readers.

With a multi-sensory approach to teaching, Lucas was able to return to traditional school feeling much more confident and focused.

Stephen Cannell scripted 450 episodes and produced over 1,500 episodes over the course of his career working in television.

This star soccer player learned the true meaning of hard work, thanks to his dyslexia.

English actress and 3-time Emmy Award winner Susan Hampshire went 30 years of her life before finding out she had dyslexia.

This 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.

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.

Thomas Bolin ‘Tom’ Smothers, known for his role in the comedic TV duo The Smothers Brothers, earned his fame and by portraying the ‘dumber’ of the two brothers. Smothers accepted his role as part of his own life too, recognizing that he wasn’t as good at spelling and reading as his classmates throughout his schooling.

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.

For Vince Vaughn, making people laugh has never been hard. But not all things in life have come easy for the famous funnyman.

Caryn Elaine Johnson, otherwise known as Whoopi Goldberg, is a talented actress, comedian, author, television host, and activist.

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.

This bright young dyslexic went from school struggles to straight A's.