Question

Have you ever tried to do something 726 times before you got it right? You might not have, but Thomas Edison (pictured right) did. Edison tried 726 times to make the light bulb work before he got it right. Did you know that Edison had a learning disability? Other reports also indicated that he perseverated (focused attention/fixation on a task or event) and later in life, had a hearing impairment. But the fact remains that he attempted to make the light bulb work 726 times before it did.

What does that say about living with a disability, particularly a learning disability? Reflect on the number 726 and what it means about living with disability

Answer 1

In my view, perhaps the challenges the Edison may have faced as a result of his learning disability may have lead to the inculcation of virtues such as patience, resilience and perseverance. A child growing up with a disability always requires to put in a lot more efforts than his peers, even for tasks that seem to be acquired through relative ease. It is likely that such an individual, from childhood, would be prepared to tackle challenges that may initially appear to be difficult to him and thus would keep persevering at his tasks till he is able to accomplish them. 726 is the number of attempts that Edison made before he achieved success, many of us may easily lose confidence after even a couple of unsuccessful trials. To me, this number symbolises a vanquish over one’s own inadequacies to accomplish a goal that appears to be impossible.