Patrick Dempsey Reveals That He’s Dyslexic

Grey’s Anatomy actor, Patrick Dempsey, revealed that he’s dyslexic, which just goes on to prove that dyslexia is not synonymous with lesser intelligence.

In a TV interview with Barbara Walters, Dempsey, the star of the hit ABC show Grey’s Anatomy, said he was diagnosed with dyslexia when he was 12 years old. Before that, he had been misdiagnosed and put in special education classes.

Dyslexia is a brain-based learning disability that specifically impairs a person’s ability to read. People with dyslexia typically read at levels significantly lower than expected, despite having normal intelligence, states the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), a branch of the National Institutes of Health.

“Did you think you were stupid?” Walters asked Dempsey. “Oh, yes. Certainly,” Dempsey replied.

Now 40, Dempsey told Walters that it’s “very hard” for him to read scripts, so he relies on memorization to master his character’s lines. Dempsey says he developed perseverance as a result of his experiences with dyslexia. “I have never given up,” he told Walters.

I hope that his revelation provides hope and inspiration to anyone who feels that having a reading disability means that they’re less intelligent or hindered from success.

(source)