Famous People with Learning Disabilities and Their Contributions to Technology

To the less gifted, people with LD might be classified as overly eccentric and in the case of those with Asperger's, overly charismatic. Nevertheless, some of the brightest citizens of the past century have overcome the odds to make innovations and become front page material in technology, sports, and the business world. For dyslexics, their visual acuity (oftentimes superior to that of a "normal") can make up for their reading and writing deficiencies. For ADHD and Aspergers guys, their downright smarts and drive contribute to something exceptional. In the world of technological advance, this philosophy counts as well.

With that said, one of the world's leading computer companies (Apple) took their own ideas from Silicon Valley creator and co-owner of Hewlett Packard, William Hewlett. Born in 1938 - before his billions came to fruition, Hewlett was a highly creative man who sought engineering skills. Like dyslexics, many subjects come easier than others. Dyslexia forced him to pursue other ventures straight into the lab, where learning disabilities didn't mean a thing. As a matter of fact, dyslexia help his immense memorization skills he honed during lectures and lessons - forcing him to absorb more information than the average Joe. What could have been a disadvantage turned into a benefit right then and there.

Driven by the pursuit of money, Hewlett joined forces with David Packard as graduate students in Stanford to create a variety of inventions, including a weight loss electric shock machine and automatic flushing urinal devices. Hewlett was pivotal in enhancing the audio quality of earlier films, with his technology bought by Walt Disney. After a decade, they ventured into the computer industry and created the second-biggest computer company in the world today. The rest is history.

The exceptional skill many of those with LD possess absolutely obliterates any so-called disability they might have and leaves it to the backburner. Take the case OF Bill Wilson. An investigator, he has solved dozens of mysteries that deal with the causes of fires. His field of work is highly important, resulting in many monetary settlements. As a detective/investigator, he reconstructs accident scenes and finds the reasons many cars fail before they crash. When asked what this sense was (the sense to see a burned vehicle and analyze its parts to determine what happened during its accident scene) he mentioned dyslexia. This goes to show intelligence has nothing to do with dyslexia -it only produces abnormally talented individuals who work at savant-like levels.