For our last book, it was when we were getting ready to wrap up our interview with compact disk inventor James Russell, when the question “But when are you going to ask me about music?” came up. Music, we learned was a huge part of Jim Russell’s life (and still is) and interest in inventing that eventually lead to his electronic work (Jim was an audiophile who helped set up a complete commercial radio station before he graduated high school). Since that time, we often had folks mention how important music was to them either recreationally or professionally and we recognized the talents in children as well. One need not look far back into music history to find suggestions that some of the most famous […]
Creator of IKEA, Ingvar Kamprad – Dyslexic Entrepreneurs
Ingvar Kamprad grew up in poverty on a small farm in Sweden. His grandfather had killed himself after realizing he could no longer afford his mortgage. His grandmother was able to save the family farm. Because Ingvar struggled in school because of his dyslexia and he...
Douglas Abrams’ Quest to Change the World
Why is this guy smiling? This is author and publisher Douglas Abrams who has an instant New York Times Bestseller on his hands - The Book of Joy - but that's not all. He's also founded Idea Architects, a company helping "visionaries create a wiser, healthier, and more...
America’s Greatest Designers, CHUCK HARRISON [PREMIUM]
Chuck Harrison‘s designs are so ubiquitous that it’s said that every household in America has something designed by him. Growing up in rural Louisiana, Chuck’s first attempts at design involved the building of a “skate box” when he attached wheels to an old two-by-four, creating an early version of a skateboard. Chuck’s father was an industrial arts teachers first at Southern University, then Texas A & M. Chuck knew he loved to create things with his hands, but didn’t know how to translate it into a career until he took an aptitude test at the City College of San Francisco. His dean advised him to go into industrial design, so he applied to all 5 programs in the country. In college, Chuck had the […]
How a Dyslexic Author Wrote a NYTimes Bestseller about Joy
"...He explained that there is a Tibetan saying that it is the painful experiences that shine the light on the nature of happiness... The Archbishop added that that “nothing beautiful comes without some suffering,” and he mentioned how our muscles need resistance to...
How Herd Aversion Helps Adult Dyslexics [Premium]
“I have herd aversion to the point it’s ridiculous.” – Vince Flynn In our earliest interviews with adult dyslexics in research for our book, a recurring theme of “herd aversion” emerged. Herd aversion or tendency to avoid group think – seems to be a common feature among some of the most innovative and pioneering men and women that we’ve had the pleasure of knowing. Some may point to early childhood experiences of having to “go against the grain” or figure things out on their own, but regardless, as adults, it takes a lot of gutsiness because there can be a lot of messages from the world telling you that they don’t get you or that you’re flat out wrong. Fortunately, there are lots of disciplines […]
Teaching Science to Students with Dyslexia – Middle School [Premium]
Adolescents are at a stage of development when they need to be in an environment where they can experience independence, growth, cooperation, and creativity; however, the typical middle school provides an environment that stresses competition, grades, relative ability, and rote memorization.” – From The Middle School Experience: Effects on the Math and Science Achievements of Adolescents with LD Perhaps because of dyslexic strengths in direct observation, causal reasoning, and analytical problem solving, the subject of science in middle school present opportunities for talent and possibly future career development. The potential obstacles facing students with dyslexia with interests in science are several: extensive technical vocabulary, similar sounding but distinct terms, writing demands for essays and lab notebooks, however teaching strategies based on students’ relative strengths and learning preferences […]
Discoverer of the Titanic – Dyslexic Ocean Explorer Robert Ballard [Premium]
“When I was a child, I wrote a letter to an oceanographic institution in California called Scripps (Scripps Institution of Oceanography UC San Diego). It was a Dear Santa Claus letter. “Dear Scripps, I want to be an oceanographer.” I’m sure I misspelled it, because I’m dyslexic. They gave me a scholarship.” – Robert Ballard When I was seventeen, 56 years ago, I went on my first expedition. We got caught in a storm, hit by a rogue wave, and I thought that was so cool. I was too young to be afraid. I just fell in love with adventure with a purpose, where you go out there and overcome the obstacles that you’re always faced with, and then you find this secret, whether it’s a shipwreck […]
Gwen Stefani The Voice and Dyslexia
"It was such a turning point to find that I had a talent and I had something to contribute, somewhere." - Gwen Stefani, singer, songwriter, fashion designer, actress As a child, Gwen was very creative, performing puppet shows for friends and neighbors with her...
