Growing up, Daniel Paris knew it was more of an effort for him to read than his peers, but he had no idea why. He was frustrated and fell further and further behind his classmates.
"I just didn't process the information as well," Paris explained. "It was taking me so long to get to the end of a sentence that by the time I got to the end, I'd forgotten what the sentence was originally about."
After dropping out of high school, Paris was diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and multiple learning disabilities, including dyslexia.
But with the proper diagnosis and support from family and professors, he eventually returned to school, completed his degree and went on to become a Harvard graduate student. His goal is to give back to people who have struggled with similar learning disabilities and cognitive impairments.
"I want to be one of those people that's going to go out there -- whether it's change something systematically or going on the ground level and one-life-at-a-time," he said. "I just know that whatever I do, I want to give more people the opportunity to do what I've been able to do."
Quotes
"I just know that whatever I do, I want to give more people the opportunity to do what I've been able to do, " - Daniel Paris.
Warm Up Questions
1. What is a diagnosis?
2. What is a learning disability?
3. What is attention deficit hyperactivity disorder?
4. What is dyslexia?
Discussion Questions
1. Do you or anyone you know have a learning disability? How does this diagnosis affect your/their everyday life?
2. What is an Ivy League school? What do you know about Harvard University?
3. Do you think it's impressive that a high school dropout is now attending Harvard University? Why or why not?
Additional Resources
How Do Students With Disabilities Learn Best?
Piano Virtuoso Overcomes Disability
