Powerful Student's Stories #2 - The Danger Of Self-Identification With A Learning Disability

I’ve met so many students who self-identified as learning disabled (including me) or say they have ADHD, even without a formal diagnosis. And while I know that these conditions are very real and important to acknowledge when they actually apply, I can’t help but wonder: Is everyone who believes they “can’t learn” really disabled? Or have they just been conditioned to think that way?

As a superlearner, I believe that everyone can grow—some faster, some slower, but always forward. The problem is that school teaches us a fixed perception of learning speed. It forces everyone into the same pacing and structure. And when you don’t match the “expected” tempo, you start comparing yourself—always looking upwards at those who seem to get it faster, never noticing those who struggle just as much or more.

This creates a distorted self-perception. Instead of seeing their own unique learning rhythm, people start labeling themselves as “slow,” “bad at learning,” or even “broken”—just because they don’t fit into an artificial system. But the truth is: we all come from different experiences, different perspectives, and different ways of processing the world. Of course, we won’t all learn at the same speed or through the same methods.

What if the real issue isn’t a “learning disability” but a broken idea of how learning should happen?

So here’s a challenge: Give yourself the chance that you suffer from self-identification. What if your belief that you’re a slow learner, or that you "can’t learn," is actually misleading you?

Try to believe—just 1%—that this label might not be true. That maybe, just maybe, your struggles with learning aren’t about a limitation, but about the environment, expectations, and comparisons that shaped how you see yourself.

Because when people step outside that rigid structure—when they start learning in ways that fit them, at a pace that feels natural—I’ve seen so many “bad learners” turn into brilliant thinkers. They were never incapable. They were just trapped in a system that made them feel that way.

So before you diagnose yourself as “bad at learning,” ask yourself: Are you actually struggling? Or have you just been taught to believe that learning only counts if it happens at someone else’s speed?