Famous People Who Had Disabilities

Objectives:

To help students realize that even though they have disabilities they can still be great. They can still serve others. To help the people's self-esteem. To help motivate them to try their best.

Materials:

Photographs of Famous People: These can be ordered (cost $30.00) from San Jose State University, Disabled Student Services, One Washington Square, San Jose, California 95192. Another option is to download pictures of these famous people from the internet (e.g. http://www.lycos.com/ and then search for pictures/sounds). Use a color computer printer and print them out on card stock. I also found a number of these people on multimedia CD-ROM encyclopedias. For this lesson you will also need a mirror.

Procedure:

Ask how many people in the room have disabilities.
Everyone's hand should go up including the instructor's. Have instructor tell the class what his/her disabilities are.
Tell people that even though you may have a disability and sometimes people might make fun of you or stare at you, you can still do some great things.
Tell students that we will go out in the hall to look at some famous and very important people who had disabilities.
Take students out and show them the following people:

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: had a learning disability
Walt Disney: had a learning disability
Edison: Had 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: Had 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: had a learning disability
Stephen Hawking: physicist/mathematician has Lou Gehrigs Disease and is in a wheelchair. He needs a computer to speak.
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 had a learning disability.
Nelson Rockfeller, former 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 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: had a learning disability and often flunked his math tests in high school.
George Washington: Had a learning disability. He could barely write and had very poor grammar skills.
Woodrow Wilson: U.S. 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.

Famous people who have Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD): Robin Williams and "Magic" Johnson.

6) AFTER SEEING ALL THE PICTURES OF FAMOUS PEOPLE BRING THE STUDENTS BACK IN THE CLASSROOM AND PUT A MIRROR IN FRONT OF THEIR FACES. TELL THEM THAT YOU KNOW SOME MORE GREAT PEOPLE AND HERE IS WHAT THEY LOOK LIKE. THEN SAY AT LEAST TWO GREAT THINGS ABOUT EACH OF THE STUDENTS. TELL THEM THAT THEY MAY NEVER BE PRESIDENT OR A GREAT ARTIST, BUT THEY CAN STILL TRY THEIR BEST AND BE GOOD PEOPLE. HOLD UP MIRROR IN FRONT OF INSTRUCTOR'S FACE AND TALK ABOUT INSTRUCTOR'S OWN DISABILITIES AND HOW THEY CAN STILL DO GREAT THINGS FOR THE WORLD.

Results: Can help some students realize that everyone has disabilities, and to help them realize that very important people have had disabilities.

copyright (c) Bill Straub, January 1994, updated March 1997
permission granted for classroom use only - not for resale

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