The next person I would like to introduce you to is Anderson Hays Cooper, American journalist, author, and television personality. Primarily known for this work as a primary anchor of CNN and correspondent for 60 Minutes.

Anderson was born in 1967 in New York City, he was the youngest son of his father Wyatt Cooper and mother Gloria Vanderbilt. He has had media experience since he was young, he was photographed as a baby for Harper’s Bazaar and also appeared on The Tonight Show with his mother when he was only 3 years old. Age 9 he appeared on To Tell the Truth, and from 10-13 models for Macy’s, Calvin Klein, and Ralph Lauren. His family life was frayed when his father died in 1978 and his older brother Carter committed suicide in 1988, he cites his brother’s death for sparking his interest in journalism. “Loss is a theme that I think a lot about, and it’s something in my work that I dwell on. I think when you experience any kind of loss, especially the kind I did, you have questions about survival: Why do some people thrive in situations that others can’t tolerate? Would I be able to survive and get on in the world on my own?”. Anderson grew up in a home where reading and writing were seen as very important, he did struggle as a child with his Dyslexia mixing up letters but he got a special reading instructor who helped him so much. He went to Dalton for high school and even graduated early and spent time in Africa before attending Yale studying political science. It is truly amazing what Anderson had been able to accomplish in his live and overcoming his learning disability. One thing Anderson and I have in common is for years we tried to hide our Dyslexia from people and just act as if we were normal smart kids, at the end of the day we have to be proud of who we are and what makes us different.

This brings up the big importance of improving access to help for people with learning disabilities, Anderson said himself that he was very lucky to go to his school and be able to get the help he needed. When it comes special education of the public-school system has truly failed to help children around the country overcome their disabilities. I know this first hand from my experience with special-ed and I was only able to find the help I needed by going to private school. I believe that this is an issue that really needs to be looked at in the education systems of every state.