Famous People with Disabilities

Stephen Hawking , Born 1942
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease

Although unable to walk, talk, breathe easily, swallow and has difficulty holding up his head, the internationally renowned Physicist became Lucasian Professor of Mathematics in 1979, the highest position available at Cambridge.  He went on to publish ‘A Brief History of Time: From the Big Bang to Black Holes’ in 1988.

Franklin Delano Roosevelt, 1882 – 1945
Polio

32nd President of the United States, serving from 1933 to 1945, and the only US president to have served more than two terms of office.  He contracted what was thought to be polio In August 1921 while on vacation, which resulted in his total and permanent paralysis from the waist down.  Despite this, he went on to direct the March of Dimes Program that eventually funded an effective vaccine for polio.  More recently in 2003, a peer-reviewed study found that it was more likely that his paralytic illness was actually Guillain-Barré Syndrome.

David Lim, 1964
Guillain-Barré Syndrome

Best known for leading the first Singapore Mount Everest Expedition in 1998.  A week after returning from Everest, he struggled with the effects of Guillain-Barre Syndrome, a rare and serious nerve disorder, which totally paralysed and hospitalised him for six months. Today, despite being partially disabled, he is climbing mountains and is a motivational speaker.  He is also the author of two books, Mountain to Climb: The Quest for Everest and Beyond, and Against Giants.

Albert Einstein, 1879 -1955
Learning disability

Believed to have had a learning disability, Albert Einstein is one of the greatest scientists of all time, best known for his theory of relativity.

Leonardo Da Vinci, 1452 – 1519
Dyslexia

Scientist, mathematician, engineer, inventor, anatomist, painter, sculptor, architect, botanist, musician and writer.

Ludwig Von Beethoven, 1770 -1827
Hearing impairment

The brilliant composer experienced bipolar depression and lost his hearing in 1800.

Thomas Edison, 1847 –1931
Hearing Impairment

The prolific inventor and businessman developed many devices that greatly influenced life around the world, including the phonograph, motion-picture projector and electric light bulb.