Role Models for Children with Learning Disabilities

Learning disabilities are disorders in which a person has trouble comprehending, interpreting, and conveying several things and factors. They are usually detected at a young age. And no, people with these are different and not boneheaded. Learning disabilities include disorders such as dyslexia, dyspraxia, dyscalculia, and dysgraphia. These may or may not coexist with each other.

People with learning disabilities, especially kids, face many challenges. They face socio-emotional problems, unkind behavior because of poor performance in learning, difficulties in adjusting with other kids, and many more. Amidst all these, they need nothing more than motivation and understanding by society. The world has seen many noteworthy people who despite having learning disorders have excelled tremendously in their life.

Here are 5 such personalities who stand out as role models for kids with learning disabilities:

Albert Einstein

The man who provided the world with the Theory of Relativity, Quantum Theory of light, the link between mass and energy, etc as a child suffered from Dyslexia. It is a condition in which the person has a problem identifying, using, and processing the alphabet and words. Besides this, his speech was also delayed. It is said that he didn't speak until he was 4 and had difficulty passing his school and college exams. Despite these, today the world remembers him as one of the greatest scientists of all time who was also awarded the Nobel Prize for one of his theories.

Tom Cruise

Tom Cruise who is an American actor and producer is dyslexic. He has himself admitted how he has struggled reading and memorizing his lines. He would memorize his lines with mental imagery and the help of coaches. He is one of the highest-paid actors in the world. He has made a strong impact in the movie industry with his amazing characters. His movies have also been nominated for Oscars and he has been honored with several other awards for his works.

Abhishek Bachchan

A well-known name in Bollywood, Abhishek Bachchan is a successful actor and producer who was diagnosed with dyslexia at the age of nine. He has always been open about this disorder he had and has been cited as an inspiring example by the movie 'Taare Zameen Par' which was all about a child with dyslexia. He has won several awards for his acting and has also been the brand ambassador of several companies like LG, Videocon DTH, Ford Fiesta, etc. 

Daniel Radcliffe

The famous actor we grew up recognizing as 'Harry Potter' suffers from a motor learning disability called Dyspraxia. In this disorder, the person finds it difficult to sync with the environment and carry out motor and sensory tasks. Even tasks like tying a shoelace or maintaining decent handwriting seem like a struggle for him. Several sources say that it is partially because of his disability that he became an actor. However, he has achieved great success in this field despite the difficulties he faced.

Thomas Edison

The inventor of the early light bulb and the motion-picture camera most likely suffered from dyslexia and ADHD as well. His disability in learning was evident during his school days and he was dropped out of school. His mother homeschooled him. He owned 1093 patents making us all aware of how incredible an inventor he was despite the difficulty he had in learning. He has won awards for his inventions as well as philanthropic works. Today we even have awards named after him.

We as a society need to understand and amplify the fact that children with these disabilities are not abnormal or less intellectual. Just because they can't learn and do things the way we do doesn't mean they are dumb. We just need to teach and help them in ways tailored to their unique style. The list of People who have attained enormous success despite having a learning disability is huge. They not only inspire the ones who are differently-abled but everyone around them. After all, people are known and remembered for their ability and not the disabilities.