Famous People Who Overcame Dyslexia
Charles Schwab
 He
heads the nation's first and largest discount brokerage, overseeing
more than $500 billion in assets. His second book, Charles
Schwab's Guide to Financial Independence,
was a best-seller in 1998. His smooth, ad-friendly face suggests
a man 20 years younger.
But there is pain behind the smile. As a
Sacramento Valley schoolboy, Schwab began a lifelong struggle
with the written word. He recalls relying on Classic Comic
Books just to make his way through his reading assignments.
As a Stanford freshman, in 1955, he was "completely buried,"
flunking both French and freshman English before finding refuge
in economics.
Even now, Schwab, '59, MBA '61, finds reading
and writing tedious at best. He once confessed to a reporter
that he had attempted to read the novel Shogun six or seven
times. "When I read, I can feel myself converting the
written code into sounds [with my mouth] before I can process
it," he explains. "Fast readers don't go through
all that."
Like some 24 million other Americans, Schwab
copes with dyslexia. The condition -- characterized by unusual
difficulty sounding out letters and distinguishing words that
sound similar -- is by far the most common language-related
learning disability. Scientists have yet to pinpoint its cause,
but this much is certain: with appropriate assessment and
timely phonics-based instruction, most children with dyslexia
can learn to read and write proficiently -- and the earlier
intervention takes place, the better. It's a message that
Schwab, with all his fortune and marketing savvy, has been
eager to bankroll.
Additional Links:
Charles
& Helen Schwab Foundation - A private, nonprofit organization
that has been actively helping parents of children who struggle
with learning since 1989.
The Charles
Schwab Corporation - Charles Schwab founder and CEO.
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