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Young adults, young parents who have experienced dyslexia themselves or in members of their
family, often ask "Is it possible to overcome dyslexia?" I think we have to put this in
to a context. Dyslexia is often called the hidden disability. If someone has an amputation
of a leg, we know that...that with therapy and with a prosthesis, that person can learn
to walk and even run. Drive a car. Do many of the things that all the rest of us do because
we have two intact legs. When it comes to overcoming this hidden disability, it requires
a great deal of persistence. And acceptance. If one does not accept that you have lost
a leg, you're unwilling to put in the effort that it takes for therapy to be effective,
to learn to use the prosthesis and to take on your normal life again. With dyslexia as
a hidden disability, one must understand that it takes a great deal of effort, over a long
period of time, to accomplish the level of skill in reading and spelling and writing
that others seem to come to so naturally. Can individuals with dyslexia complete high
school? Absolutely. Can they complete college? Absolutely. Can they become doctors and lawyers
and teachers? Yes, and there are many among us. Can they become writers, authors? Yes.
Stephen Cannell is dyslexic, and he is the author of many very well known and popular
television series. And so when we think about overcoming dyslexia, it is overcoming a disability,
and it requires the same kind of effort and persistence that it takes to overcome any
disability. Does dyslexia go away? No. But can you learn to work with the disability
and live a comfortable and effective life? Yes.