Profiles in Achievement
Determined to Succeed
A Life of Presidential Achievements
 Thomas Woodrow Wilson, the 28th president of the United States, was born in 1856. He was one of four children. Despite having an educated father, who was a minister, and an attentive mother, Wilson was a poor student who didn’t learn the alphabet until he was 9, and couldn’t read until he was almost 12. His teachers all thought him slow. Historians now think Wilson had a form of dyslexia.
His parents were supportive of Wilson, even though they thought him “a dolt” and a “lost cause” when it came to book learning. Instead, they encouraged his learning through alternative methods. The family would spend Sundays studying the Bible and traveling. His parents would encourage Wilson to speak about things he saw in great detail in order to develop his communication skills. This ability allowed Wilson to develop his speech and debating skills in his later life that led him into politics.
Wilson loved to learn, and he taught himself shorthand to compensate for his lack of handwriting ability. He had the determination and self-discipline to want to succeed, and despite his learning disability, Wilson became the first president to earn a doctorate degree.
Though he never was able to read well his entire life, Wilson became a professor and later was elected President of Princeton University. He became Governor of New Jersey and was elected to the presidency in 1912. His accomplishments before the US entered WWI awarded him the Nobel Peace Prize in 1919. This remarkable man, who had so much trouble reading his whole life, yet accomplished so much, died in 1924.
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EPS began as the leading publisher of materials for students with dyslexia. Over the past 50 years, we’ve developed programs that support students with a wide variety of learning disabilities. Choose a subject from the left to learn more about these resources. |
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