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.
Though the inventor focuses much of his time on math and science, Kamen has only read one novel in his adult life because he struggles with words on a page more so than equations and numbers.
"I read physics," Kamen said. "I read math. Everybody has to read those slow. And I'm not as dyslexic with numbers and equations."
Kamen struggled in school because of his learning disability, and didn’t get good grades as a result.
"(I) disliked being told what to do by teachers, and challenged them over their teaching of the principles of math and physics," he said.
Despite difficulties in school, Kamen excelled in his creativity at an early age. His parents noticed how he liked to come up with new ways to do things, and this creativity translated into a career in inventions. Kamen designed a syringe that gave accurate doses of medicine, a portable dialysis machine, a low-cost water filter for developing countries, and the Segway.
Kamen has also earned awards for his inventions, including the National Medal of Technology in 2000 and the Lemelson-MIT Prize in 2002. He puts much of his time into FIRST, a national program with competitions for kids interested in math and science.