Helen Keller

Although blind and deaf, Helen Keller became a scholar, author,

speaker, advocate for social justice, and one of the founders of the

American Civil Liberties Union.

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We all admire those who go on to lead productive lives after being struck blind or deaf in
early life - but what can we say about Helen Keller, who was left both blind and deaf
after a childhood illness, but went on to become one of the most famous writers, activists,
and public speakers of her day?
Helen Keller was born in 1880, long before the arrival of the technology and training that
can help blind and deaf people today. She was trapped in a private world, unable to
communicate or understand the world around her.
Helen’s family turned to an expert on helping the deaf - Alexander Graham Bell, the
inventor of the telephone. He recommended a special school where highly trained
teachers could be hired to help girls like Helen. And that’s how Anne Sullivan came into
Helen’s life.
Sullivan began to teach Helen words by tracing symbols on the girl’s hand. Helen didn’t
understand at first, but one day when Sullivan poured some water on Helen’s hand and
then traced the letters for “water,” the young girl made the connection.
That’s when Helen’s remarkable brain and determination kicked in. Once she realized
that there was a way of communicating with others, she learned at an incredible rate.
From simple words to complicated ideas, Helen Keller absorbed knowledge like a