Via Susan Barton
Ask Gov. Peter Shumlin for a preview of this week’s inaugural address and he’ll reveal one surprising fact: He won’t spell out a thing.
It’s not because he’s dodging. It’s because he’s dyslexic.
To understand this “word,” your brain must register “wah-ur-dah” * and recognize the result as a building block of language.
As a child, Shumlin saw the individual letters. But like an estimated 15 percent of Americans — including fellow Gov. Dannel Malloy of Connecticut — he couldn’t sound out something as simple as “cat” or “dog.”
“I had a very hard time learning how to read,” Shumlin recalls, “but once they figured out how to teach me, I eventually could put a sentence together just as quickly as anybody else.”
That said, the 56-year-old’s dyslexia still affects him in and out of the office.
Take the speech he’ll present Thursday to start his second term.“I still can’t spell,” he says. “I stayed away from computers for years because I knew if I typed on one and someone saw, they would think they were dealing with someone who’s not ready for prime time.”