Helen Keller

Helen Keller (Helen Adams Keller) was an American author, political activist and lecturer. She was born June 27, 1880 in Tuscumbia, Alabama, and was the first deaf and blind person to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree (graduated from Radcliffe College cum laude in 1904). Her teacher, Annie Sullivan, had much to do with this occurring.

Many Challenges

As a young child Helen had anything but normal child development. She did learn some signs and a pointer language at age seven (7), but she had severe bouts of anger and was uncontrollable. She engaged in many tantrums with her parents and required some form of child behavior modification. Some family members felt she should be institutionalized.

She was taken to Baltimore, Maryland by her parents to see Dr. J. Julian Chisolm. He referred her to Alexander Graham Bell (inventor of the telephone), who was working successfully with deaf children at the time. He subsequently referred her to the Perkins Institute for the Blind in Boston, Massachusetts. The school’s director, Michael Anaganos, arranged for Helen to work with a recent graduate of the institute, Anne Sullivan. Thus began a lifelong journey. They started to work together in March, 1887.

A Remarkable Story

Helen broke through the isolation imposed by a near complete lack of language, and was able to blossom. Helen learned to communicate, and became known worldwide through the play and film The Miracle Worker. Sullivan taught Helen to communicate by spelling words into her hand, beginning with d-o-l-l for the doll that she had brought her as a present.

Helen became a prolific author, and was very outspoken against war. She also campaigned for women’s suffrage and workers’ rights, as well as many other progressive causes. In 1920, she helped to found the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). Keller and Sullivan traveled to over 39 countries.

Helen became a favorite of the Japanese people because of her frequent visits. Keller met every US President from Grover Cleveland to Lyndon B. Johnson and became friends with Mark Twain, Alexander Graham Bell, and Charlie Chaplin.

In 1915 Helen and George Kessler, cofounded Helen Keller International, which addressed the causes and needs of blindness and malnutrition. She also contributed significantly to the American Federation for the Blind, which was founded in 1921.

Helen Keller is a role model for us all. She used determination, hard work, and aptitude to overcome her adversity. Because of her persistence in rising above her challenges, she was able to contribute greatly to the lives of others worldwide. She died in her sleep on June 1, 1968 leaving behind quite a legacy.

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