UNDERSTANDING
DYSLEXIA
“We’re here for a reason. I believe a bit of the reason is to throw little torches out to lead people through the dark.”
Whoopi Goldberg
WHOOPI GOLDBERG
Caryn Elaine Johnson also known as Whoopi Goldberg was born on November 13th 1955 in Chelsea, New York. She was raised mainly by her mother, because her father left when she was young. Whoopi grew up under a number of false labels. She recalls: "When I was a kid they didn't call it dyslexia. They called it... being slow, or you were retarded..."Whoopi and her mother knew the label was false and that she was in fact dealing with a problem that was undefined. Due to her struggles in school she dropped out at the age of 17.
It was only when she was an adult that she found out that her struggles were in fact due to dyslexia. But with the help of a teacher she developed the skills and confidence to grow.
Later on in life, her breakthrough in a one women Broadway show impressed director Steven Spielberg enough to cast her for the lead in the film The Color Purple and into stardom. From then on she had many stage work, stand up comedies and television role. She was even able to write a children's book series: Sugar Plum Ballerinas. Whoopi is one of the 12 people who have won all four entertainment major awards: Oscars, Tony, Emmy, and Grammy. She was also the first women to receive the prestigious Mark Twain Prize for American Humor.
She says that the bullying and name calling she experienced in school only gave her the motivation to succeed. She also says that they “went into making me the sum total of what I became, and what I’ve become.”
Credits To: "Whoopi Goldberg Inspires Those with Dyslexia." Dyslexia Reading Well. Web. 2 Dec. 2015.
"50 Of The Most Inspiring Quotes From Remarkably Successful Women Leaders." Lifehack RSS. Web. 2 Dec. 2015.