Was Walt Disney dyslexic?

Walt Disney

On 17 July 1955, Disneyland opened in California.

I was going to tweet our followers on this anniversary and make a link to Walt Disney’s dyslexia. I was planning to go on to talk about the strengths that dyslexic people have and Dyslexia Scotland’s leaflet about Famous people with dyslexia.

But I thought I’d better just check the facts first.

Just as well I did.

It turns out that, according to Dave Smith, Director of Walt Disney Archives, ‘There is no indication anywhere in Walt’s history that he ever had dyslexia’.  So, although Walt Disney is ‘remembered’ for his dyslexia on numerous internet sites as being an excellent role model, he actually wasn’t dyslexic.

To read more about his ‘non dyslexia’, have a look at the full article

So, there may well be a number of famous people who are ‘assumed’ or falsely claimed to be dyslexic.
But a more serious problem is that there are still far too many children, young people and adults whose dyslexia is not identified (and therefore supported) when it should be.

This can lead to frustration, low motivation and stress, as well as overall severe low self-esteem at not reaching their potential. Early intervention is crucial.

The top reason for people calling Dyslexia Scotland’s Helpline is to find out about assessment – click on the Assessment section of our website to learn more about what is involved: https://bit.ly/1bI3A7L