Greetings viewer!
Learning is a method we use to gain information.
It is an ongoing process that helps us throughout our academics, career, etc.
But, what if you have a learning disability?
How will you learn?
Well, in this video we are going to talk about celebrities who came out with flying colors
despite their learning disabilities.
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Unfortunately, we would not be mentioning geniuses like Albert Einstein, Pablo Picasso
because we think they deserve a video of their own.
So, without further delay let us get started.
Starting off the list we have…
Keira Knightely
Before she was doing movies like Atonement or Pirates of the Carribean, Keira Knightely
was a dyslexia patient, who had trouble reading.
She could not even go through one page in a book.
But then things changed.
Keira was drawn to acting from an early age.
Keira's mother took advantage of it and told Keira that she would only be allowed to act
if she studied everyday.
This ended up becoming a motivational factor for Keira.
She had her dreams on the line and had to do something to make them right.
She studied everyday, even during holidays and kept her grades up.
She ended up finishing school with good grades.
Keira's journey reminds us of a quote by William Shakespeare from the play 'Troilus And Cressida':
Act 3, Scene 3, l. 150, "Perseverance, my dear lord.
Keeps honour bright."
Speaking of perseverance here is another example...
Michael Phelps
What would you do when you have ADHD and you find it hard to concentrate?
You concentrate harder.
That is exactly what this future swimming champion did.
Michael Phelps was diagnosed with ADHD when he was in fifth grade.
He was always criticized by his teachers because of his inability to focus.
Doctors prescribed him Ritalin, a medicine that is usually given to ADHD patients.
But, Michael soon realized that the medicine had its side-effects.
So, he stopped taking it and used swimming as a means to help him focus.
This made him better at studies.
Miachel started imagining his each class as the other end of the pool.
He knew he would have to reach the other side to win.
This made him concentrate in class and helped him score better grades.
Several years later, swimming became his claim to fame.
His inability to give up made him unbeatable in the pool and he went on to win 23 Olympic
gold medals.
Pauo Coelho's quote from Page 22 of the novel 'The Alchemist' explains Michael's story,
"When you truly want something, the whole universe conspires in helping you achieve
it."
Next we have...
Whoopi Goldberg
What is worse than having dyslexia?
Having dyslexia and being abused because of it.
That is what actress, writer and producer Whoopi Goldberg had to face growing up.
She was called "dumb" in school by her teachers and fellow classmates.
Her dyslexia made it hard for her to excel in studies and the constant bullying did not
help either.
Fast forward a few decades, Whoopi Goldberg is one of the few celebrities to win a Tony
Award, an Oscar, a Grammy and an Emmy.
She played lead roles in movies such as Sister Act, The Colour Purple and Jumping Jack Flash.
Yo haters, where are you now?
The sixth stanza from Maya Angelou's poem, 'Still I rise' sums it up:
"You may shoot me with your words, You may cut me with your eyes,
You may kill me with your hatefulness, But still, like air, I’ll rise."
Talking about rising from the ashes, here is another example.
Keanu Reeves
Before he was Neo, Constantine or John Wick, Keane Reeves was having trouble going through
high school.
He had dyslexia and found it hard to learn throughout his school.
In an interview, he stated, "Because I had trouble reading, I wasn’t a good student
… I didn’t finish high school.
I did a lot of pretending as a child.
It was my way of coping with the fact that I didn’t really feel like I fit in."
Additionally, the fact that his parents separated and his family moved around a lot before settling
down in Toronto, didn't help his case.
Although his habit of pretending helped him in his acting career.
However, tragedies were not over Keanu, he went through many personal losses including
the death of his best friend, his wife and his daughter.
Now any other person in Keanu's place would just give up.
But hey we are not just talking about anyone here, are we?
Keanu Reeves is not just any person, his life is an evidence of that fact.
The last stanza from William Ernest Henley's poem, 'Invictus' suits Keanu Reeves perfectly:
"It matters not how strait the gate, How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul."
Speaking of souls, let's talk about an actress who knows a lot about souls.
After all, she was Hermione Granger...
Emma Watson
Before she was casting magic spells as Hermione Granger, Emma Watson was having trouble focusing
and learning things in high school.
Known to only a few sources, Emma was diagnosed with ADHD as a child.
Hence, she found it hard to concentrate in class.
But, when you are gutsy even mountains will bow to you.
Emma went on star in movies such as Noah, Little Women and the Harry Potter series.
What's more?
She completed her degree in English from Brown University and is now a United Nations Ambassador.
We know what you are thinking.
Her elegant and beautiful personality makes it very hard to understand that she has ADHD.
But, hey this is why she deserves all the love, respect and kudos that she gets.
The quote that we think suits her is from the novel, 'Frankenstein' by Mary Shelley:
"Beware; I am fearless, and therefore powerful."
From one Harry Potter superstar to another.
Daniel Radcliffe
Before he was our beloved wizard Harry Potter, Daniel Radcliffe was just a boy with a mild
case of Dyspraxia.
What is Dyspraxia?
It is a neurological disorder that affects the development of motor skills.
This is a problem that has persisted with him till today.
This means he has trouble doing simple things such as tying shoelaces.
He once jokingly stated in an interview, "I sometimes think, Why, oh why, has Velcro not
taken off?"
Now, if you are thinking it is not a big deal.
Then let us give you a bit of a detail.
Dyspraxia often occurs in childhood and the person who is suffering from it finds it hard
to do anything that requires coordination and movement.
This means a person with dyspraxia would have very poor hand-eye coordination, would have
trouble when it comes to balance, may have a lack of rhythm when they are dancing, may
have a tendency to bump into things and people when they are walking and may even display
exaggerated "accessory movements" such as flapping of arms when they are running.
Now, does that scare you.
Yes, that is what Daniel Radcliffe fights with everyday in his life.
I think the only thing we can tell him is to never give up because,
(Insert scene: You're a Wizard, Harry!)
These were a few celebrities who have had learning problems growing up and yet they
managed to turn their fortunes around.
This goes to show when you have the will power, guts, determination and perseverance then
nothing can get in your way.
Yes, life is not a movie and like a movie we do not get what we always want.
But, we get what we work for.
So, do not give up and despite all your odds you will succeed.
The lives of these celebrities are just testimonials of this fact.
So, what did you think about our video?
Did you find it helpful?
Do you know more celebrities with learning disabilities?
Let us know in the comments sections below.
We would love to hear vfrom you.