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Below is a list of some of the most famous people whom were diagnosed or perceived to have had a disability:
- Stephen Hawking: Physicist/Mathematician has Lou Gehrigs Disease and is in a wheelchair. He needs a computer to speak.
- Sarah Bernhardt: French actress (1844-1923) Disabled by a knee injury, her leg amputated in 1914, she continued starring on stage until just before her death. She is regarded as France's greatest actress -- "The Divine Sarah".
- Beethoven: Composer: Was deaf when he composed his 9th symphony.
- Winston Churchill: Was perceived to have a learning disability.
- Walt Disney: Was perceived to have a learning disability.
- Edison: Was perceived to have a learning disability. He couldn't read until he was twelve years old and had a very difficult time writing even when he was older.
- Albert Einstein: Mathematician/Physicist: Was perceived to have a learning disability and did not speak until age 3. He had a very difficult time doing math in school. It was very hard for him to express himself through writing.
- Goya: Spanish painter (1746-1828): At age 46, an illness left him deaf. He went on to create the most famous Spanish art of the 19th century.
- Alexander Graham Bell: Was perceived to have a learning disability.
- Milton: English Author/poet (1608-1674): He became blind at age 43. He went on to create his most famous epic, Paradise Lost.
- George Patton: This World War II General was perceived to have a learning disability.
- Nelson Rockfeller: Former USA Vice President: Had a learning disability: dyslexia.
- President Roosevelt: At age 39, his legs were paralyzed by polio. He became governor of New York state and was elected USA President four times.
- Harriett Tubman: Abolitionist (1830-1913): As a child she was struck by an overseer. The blow fractured her skull and resulted in narcolepsy for the rest of her life. She rescued hundreds of slaves on the underground railroad.
- Werner Von Braun: Was perceived to have a learning disability and often failed his math tests in high school.
- George Washington: Was perceived to have a learning disability. He could barely write and had very poor grammar skills.
- Woodrow Wilson: U.S.A. President from 1913-1921. Had a learning disability - was severely dyslexic.
Other famous people who have learning disabilities: Cher, Tom Cruise, Whoopi Goldberg, Greg Louganis, Bruce Jenner, H.G. Wells (Thanks for this information from Eve Nichols, Learning Disabilities Association of Ontario).
Famous people who are known or are thought to have had epilepsy: Charles Dickens, Neil Abercrombie, Danny Glover, Margaux Hemingway, Tchaikovsky, Alexander the Great, Julius Caesar, Alfred Great, William Pitt, Napoleon, Byron, de Moupassant, Edward Lear, Handel, Berlioz, Paganini, Vincent Van Gogh, Tony Lazzeri, Gary Howatt and British marathon runner Alan Blinston.
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