Link: Buffalo News - WNED documentary is 'Demystifying Dyslexia'.
Clement R. Arrison was the president of Mark IV Industries, and discovered in his 30s that he was dyslexic. He became an advocate for the reading-disabled, and most recently provided major funding for "Demystifying Dyslexia", the documentary produced by WNED.
Arrison couldn't help thinking that if modern learning tools described in "Demystifying Dyslexia" had been available when he grew up in Michigan, barely able to read and write, the road to success would have been smoother.
Arrison did not realize he had the disability until he was in his 30s. "I don't think people knew much about it back then," he said. "I had trouble in high school, but so did a lot of kids."
Arrison realized reading and writing were not his forte, but rationalized that everybody has strengths and weaknesses.
Aided by his father, "I became a better reader," he said, "but I was not a good speller. I didn't understand the way the English langauge went together. There are so many ways to spell a word, so many meanings."
As a high school upper classman he began building radios and other electronic devices. "I did all the industrial things I could, and stayed away from language."
After graduating from the University of Michigan in electrical engineering, Arrison joined Bell Aerospace Co. in Buffalo. "As time went on, I began to think that being an effective person just meant working as hard as you could," he said.
The moment of self-recognition came when his sister gave him a copy of "Reversals," a book about overcoming dyslexia. "It was the story of my life up to that time," he said.
Arrison is another dyslexic entrepreneur.
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