Helen Keller

Helen Keller Birthplace House in Tuscumbia, Alabama

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Helen Keller with Anne Sullivan in July 1888

PSM V63 D081 Helen keller and miss sullivan

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Helen Adams Keller (June 27, 1880 – June 1, 1968) was an American author, political activist, and lecturer. She was the first deafblind person to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree. The story of Keller and her teacher, Anne Sullivan, was made famous by Keller's autobiography, The Story of My Life, and its adaptations for film and stage, The Miracle Worker.

Early Life

Helen Keller was born in Tuscumbia, Alabama, to Arthur H. Keller and Kate Adams Keller. At the age of 19 months, she contracted an illness—described by doctors as "an acute congestion of the stomach and the brain"—which might have been scarlet fever or meningitis. The illness left her both deaf and blind. Despite her disabilities, Keller became a prolific writer and communicator, thanks in large part to the intervention of Sullivan, whom the Keller family hired as her instructor in 1887.

Education

Keller attended the Perkins Institute for the Blind where Sullivan, herself visually impaired, had been educated. She later moved to the Wright-Humason School for the Deaf in New York City, and then to the Cambridge School for Young Ladies in Massachusetts. In 1900, Keller was admitted to Radcliffe College, where she lived in Briggs Hall, South House, and graduated cum laude in 1904.

Career and Activism

Throughout her life, Keller was a tireless advocate for people with disabilities. She co-founded the American Foundation for the Blind (AFB) in 1921, where she worked for over 40 years. Keller traveled to over 40 countries with Sullivan, giving lectures and inspiring people around the world. She was also a staunch supporter of women's suffrage, labor rights, socialism, antimilitarism, and other progressive causes.

Legacy

Keller's legacy is vast. She received many honors in her lifetime, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1964 and election to the Women's Hall of Fame in 1965. Schools and other institutions have been named after her, and her birthplace in Tuscumbia is a museum dedicated to her life and work. Keller's story remains an enduring symbol of the human spirit's ability to overcome adversity.

Selected Works

• The Story of My Life (1903)
• Out of the Dark (1913)
• The World I Live In (1908)
• Optimism (1903)

See Also

• Anne Sullivan
• Perkins Institute for the Blind
• American Foundation for the Blind