Quotations from Famous People that Suffer from Dyslexia

Posted by admin in dyslexia-assistive-technology | Ghotit Blogs - (1 Comments)

I had noticed that many people are looking for quotations of famous dyslexics; therefore I have gathered many of those quotations.

On a personal note,  I want to say that as a person that suffers from dyslexia it makes me feel good to see so many people with dyslexia that made it. However, I think that most of us (dyslexics) need to work hard and to take advantage of assistive technologies which are available today, such as the Ghotit spell and grammar checker for people with dyslexia.

 

Albert Einstein

“Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds”

“Logic will get you from A to B. Imagination will take you everywhere.”

“Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world.”

“If, at first, an idea is not absurd, there is no hope for it.”

“It’s not that I’m so smart, it’s just that I stay with problems longer.”

“Joy in looking and comprehending is nature’s most beautiful gift.”

“Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow.”
“He did not speak until the age of three and teachers labeled him mentally slow: “Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new.”

“It is a miracle that curiosity survives formal education.”

“Education is what remains after one has forgotten everything he learned in school.”

“A person who never made a mistake never tried anything new.”

“Intellectual growth should commence at birth and cease only at death.”

“Intellectuals solve problems, geniuses prevent them.”

“Most people say that is it is the intellect which makes a great scientist. They are wrong: it is character.”

“Knowledge of what is does not open the door directly to what should be.”

“Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow. The important thing is not to stop questioning.”

“The only thing that interferes with my learning is my education.”

“If we knew what it was we were doing, it would not be called research, would it?”

“I am enough of an artist to draw freely upon my imagination.”

“Never lose a holy curiosity.”

“When I examine myself and my methods of thought, I come to the conclusion that the gift of fantasy has meant more to me than my talent for absorbing positive knowledge.”

“Setting an example is not the main means of influencing another; it is the only means”

Thomas Edison

When Thomas Edison was six years old his teacher sent the following note – “He is too stupid to learn.”

“Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time.”

“My teachers say I’m addled . . . my father thought I was stupid, and I almost decided I must be a dunce.”

“My mother was the making of me. She was so true, so sure of me and I felt I had someone to live for, someone I must not disappoint.”

“If we all did the things we are capable of doing, we would literally astound ourselves.”

“I am not discouraged, because every wrong attempt discarded is another step forward.”

“What you are will show in what you do.”

“I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work. ”

“What you are will show in what you do.”

“I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work. ”

“Genius is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration.”

“I never did anything by accident, nor did any of my inventions come by accident; they came by work.”

“I start where the last man left off.”

“Be courageous. I have seen many depressions in business. Always America has emerged from these stronger and more prosperous. Be brave as your fathers before you. Have faith! Go forward! ”

“Many of life’s failures are men who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.”

“There is far more opportunity than there is ability.”

“There is no expedient to which a man will not go to avoid the labor of thinking.”

“They say President Wilson has blundered. Perhaps he has, but I notice he usually blunders forward.”

George Washington

 “When a man does all he can, though it succeeds not well, blame not him that did it.”

“Associate yourself with men of good quality if you esteem your own reputation. It is better be alone than in bad company. ”

“We should not look back unless it is to derive useful lessons from past errors, and for the purpose of profiting by dearly bought experience.”

“My mother was the most beautiful woman I ever saw. All I am I owe to my mother. I attribute all my success in life to the moral, intellectual and physical education I received from her. ”

“Labor to keep alive in your breast that little spark of celestial fire, called conscience.”

“When a man does all he can, though it succeeds not well, blame not him that did it.”

“Be courteous to all, but intimate with few, and let those few be well tried before you give them your confidence.”

Benjamin Franklin

 “Tell me and I forget.

Teach me and I learn.

Involve me and I remember.”

General George Patton

 “Success is how high you bounce when you hit bottom.”

 Leonardo da Vinci

“You should prefer a good scientist without literary abilities than a literate one without scientific skills.”

“Your brain is much better than you think; just use it!”

 “It had long since come to my attention that people of accomplishment rarely sat back and let things happen to them. They went out and happened to things.”

“The noblest pleasure is the joy of understanding.”

 Nelson Rockefeller

“I was one of the ‘puzzle children’ myself — a dyslexic . . . And I still have a hard time reading today. Accept the fact that you have a problem. Refuse to feel sorry for yourself. You have a challenge; never quit! ”

Charles Schwab

“I couldn’t read. I just scraped by. My solution back then was to read classic comic books because I could figure them out from the context of the pictures. Now I listen to books on tape. ”

“Passion is the great slayer of adversity. Focus on strengths and what you enjoy.”

“Many times I can see a solution to something differently and quicker than other people. I see the end zone and say ‘This is where I want to go.”

“Passion is the great slayer of adversity. Focus on strengths and what you enjoy.”

Henry Winkler (actor)

 

“As a child, I was called stupid and lazy. On the SAT I got 159 out of 800 in math. My parents had no idea that I had a learning disability.”

Walt Disney

“If you can dream it, you can do it.”

“It’s kind of fun to do the impossible.”

Thomas Jefferson

“Do you want to know who you are? Don’t ask. Act! Action will delineate and define you. ”

“Determine never to be idle. No person will have occasion to complain of the want of time who never loses any. It is wonderful how much may be done if we are always doing.”

Winston Churchill

“Difficulties mastered are opportunities won.”

“I was, on the whole, considerably discouraged by my school days. It was not pleasant to feel oneself so completely outclassed and left behind at the beginning of the race.”

“A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.”

“Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference.”

“History is written by the victors.”

“I never worry about action, but only inaction.”

Magic Johnson

“The looks, the stares, the giggles . . . I wanted to show everybody that I could do better and also that I could read.”

William Butler Yeats

“By logic and reason we die hourly. By imagination we live.”

Tom Cruise

“I had to train myself to focus my attention. I became very visual and learned how to create mental images in order to comprehend what I read.”

Henry Ford

“Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off your goal”

“You can’t build a reputation on what you are going to do.”

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Dyslexia Friendly Schools

Posted by admin in dyslexia-assistive-technology | Ghotit Blogs - (1 Comments)

“If a child does not learn in the way in which we teach then we must teach him in the way in which he learns. Let dyslexia be looked at from a different angle, not as a learning disability but a different learning ability.”  (Pollack, J.,Waller)

Dyslexia friendly schools are schools that recognize a specific learning difficulty as a learning difference. These schools make an effort to include and support dyslexic students. These schools recognize that a dyslexic student learns in a different manner, and places an effort in empowering the child to deal with his writing difficulties. In non-friendly dyslexia schools, dyslexic children are seen as having something “wrong” that requires special treatment.

A dyslexia friendly school invests in educating their staff regarding on how to identify a dyslexic child’s specific learning challenges, and how to empower such a child with a learning environment supportive of his learning capabilities. The staff is guided to demonstrate sensitivity to the emotional state and self-esteem of the dyslexic student. For example, if a dyslexic child demonstrates confidence in his oral capabilities, the teacher is guided to provide the dyslexic child opportunities to regularly demonstrate this strength. If a dyslexic child begins to fall behind, then the teacher is guided to recommend special tutoring to minimize the learning gap.

A dyslexia friendly school also invests in building a close channel of communication with the child’s parents, actively communicating to them the progress and difficulties encountered by the child. The staff guides the parents regarding how to receive additional support and help.

In a dyslexia friendly school, teachers are guided to adopt a set of practices that if observed on a regular basis will alleviate the day-to-day struggle of the dyslexia child. These include:

  • Always write things on the board early, as dyslexic are slower in copying assignments to their notebooks. This problem becomes more severe if the student is under stress.
  • Make sure the student was successful in copying all his assignments to his notebook.
  • Don’t force the student to read out loud, unless you are sure that he wants to.
  • Place the student near the front and next to a good sitting student “neighbor”, so that distractions are reduced to a minimum.
  • Allow and encourage dyslexic students to use computers, so that their can correct their writing with advanced writing assistive programs (such as Ghotit)
  • Make sure that the dyslexic student understands what his is reading. Constant discussion of the meaning of the text is important, and should be performed regularly.
  • If required give the dyslexic child additional exam time, as dyslexic children tend to read and write more slowly than their peers.
  • … And most importantly, never laugh at the mistakes of a dyslexic child, or allow other students to do so. On the contrary, make an effort to praise their efforts and successes.

Comments with additional recommendations for a dyslexic friendly school would be appreciated …

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Are Certain Jobs Particularly Suited to Dyslexics?

Posted by admin in Ghotit Blogs - (0 Comments)

Ghotit will host from time to time guest blog posts about dyslexia.

The writers of these posts may be dyslexics, dyslexic family members, dyslexic tutors, teachers, assistive technology specialists or any other writer as long as the post provides quality information about dyslexia.

This hosted post by The Tutor Pages

My dyslexic librarian – are certain jobs particularly suited to dyslexics?

Despite being a dyslexia specialist, even I was surprised when my local librarian told me she was dyslexic. As my mother said “I bet she left that off her application form”.  Being dyslexic definitely makes me a better tutor; I imagine it makes her a more knowledgeable and sensitive librarian.  I was just a little shocked, which made me realise that deep down I’m still a bit insecure about my own dyslexia.  I personally know lots of teachers who are closet dyslexics, but dare we tell anyone?

Society seems to be content with the notion that the creativity of many dyslexics leads them to become successful artists, musicians, actors, designers and filmmakers.  We also find it understandable that many seek fulfilment far from the world of books, a few becoming elite athletes, famous sports people or military heroes.   With bullying rife, maybe we can all identify with fellow dyslexic Mohammed Ali sometimes.   However, not all children are destined for physical or artistic excellence.

Lots of people talk about dyslexia as a gift, but do many people honestly believe this?  I think that one of the biggest difficulties facing dyslexics is nothing to do with reading, writing or memory, but instead low expectations.  If the 2003 Tulip Financial Research findings are accurate that 40% of self-made millionaires are dyslexic, then low expectations may be ill-founded.  The ability to see the big picture and come up with innovative solutions to problems has produced billionaires like Richard Branson and a string of powerful U.S. presidents.

If you have this dyslexic mind, do particular doors open and others clang shut?  Maybe.  Because of their lateral thinking and spatial awareness, one famous practice of architects actually prefers to employ dyslexics.  Should we all be architects?  My drawing skills aren’t going to feed my cat, let alone me.

Whilst most dyslexics find school challenging and often are happier later in life when they can pursue the things they are good at, there are always exceptions.  Counter-intuitively, it’s possible to find famous dyslexic role models in heavily paper-based careers like the law or that require many years of arduous study, such as doctors.

If you imagine one of the few careers you’d never get dyslexics in would be writing, guess again!  Whether you’re more interested in the critical acclaim of WB Yeats, or the wealth of Agatha Christie, I guess the lesson is not to write people off.  With the right help in the right ways, dyslexia doesn’t have to stop you achieving your dreams, whatever they are, and it might even be a benefit!

Some food for thought: if the rumours of a possible cure for dyslexia become a reality, should we want it?  Would the world be a better place without the achievements  of Leonardo da Vinci, the films of Walt Disney, the stories of Hans Christian Anderson, the music of Lennon or Mozart, the art of Picasso, the buildings of Lord Rogers, the discoveries of Thomas Edison, the victory of Winston Churchill, or the genius of Albert Einstein?

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