Child Mind Institute Hosts 13th Annual
Adam Katz Memorial Conversation with Whoopi Goldberg
Award-Winning Icon Shares Her Story of
Growing Up With Dyslexia
NEW YORK,
NY, May 4, 2016 – The
Child Mind Institute hosted the 13th Annual
Adam Katz Memorial Conversation on Tuesday, featuring a
candid and funny conversation between award-winning
comedian, actress, human rights advocate and host of The
View Whoopi
Goldberg and Child Mind Institute President Dr. Harold
Koplewicz. The event brought together more than 350 parents
and educators at the Kaye Playhouse at Hunter College for an
in-depth discussion about Goldberg’s struggles and triumphs
living with dyslexia.
“To have an icon like Whoopi Goldberg speak
up about her struggles with dyslexia is an inspiration to
families around the world who face these same challenges,”
said Dr. Koplewicz. “I know that her story will inspire
others to get help.”
Ms. Goldberg, known for her noteworthy
performances in such films as The
Color Purple and Ghost,
for which she won an Oscar, reflected on the difficulties
she had in school because of her dyslexia, and praised her
mother for her untiring support.
“What I remember about being a kid was that I
felt pretty protected, I wasn’t afraid and I had a mother
who understood after a while that there was something
different about the way I learned things,” she told the
crowd. “It takes people a little while to accept that
something’s going on and it’s not that you’re being lazy.
It’s not that you’re not trying.”
Ms. Goldberg also shared some examples of the
techniques she’s discovered to overcome her dyslexia. She
revealed that when she’s required to learn a new script, she
enlists someone to read the lines out loud with her so she
can memorize them. In addition, when writing a book, she
dictates the book to an assistant and then afterward, in
order to maintain her style and cadence, has it read back to
her and then edits it.
The annual Adam Katz Memorial Conversation is
designed to raise awareness and educate the public about
mental health and learning disorders affecting families
nationwide, and is part of the Child Mind Institute’s annual
Speak Up for Kids campaign. This year’s Katz Conversation
was co-sponsored by Understood.org, a nonprofit committed to
helping children and families struggling with learning and
attention issues. For those unable to attend, a live stream
of the event was available, and was watched by 2000 people
worldwide.
About the Adam Katz Memorial Conversation
The Adam Katz Memorial Conversation series began in 2002 in
memory of Adam Katz, a young man who struggled with ADHD and
dyslexia. The event attracts hundreds of New York
clinicians, researchers, educators, parents and students.
Past honorees include Lorraine Bracco (actress), Naomi Judd
(singer), Brian Grazer (producer), Richard Engel (NBC Chief
Foreign Correspondent), Trudie Styler (actress, producer and
director), Ari Emanuel (CEO, William Morris Endeavor
Entertainment), Paul Orfalea (founder, Kinko's), Chuck Close
(artist), Governor Gaston Caperton (past president, College
Board), Barbara Corcoran (founder, Corcoran Real Estate
Group).
About the Child Mind Institute
The Child Mind Institute is an independent
nonprofit dedicated to transforming the lives of children
and families struggling with mental health and learning
disorders. Our teams work every day to deliver the highest
standards of care, advance the science of the developing
brain and empower parents, professionals and policymakers to
support children when and where they need it most. Together
with our supporters, we’re helping children reach their full
potential in school and in life.
We share all of
our resources freely and do not accept any funding from the
pharmaceutical industry. Learn more at childmind.org. |