The inspiring life of Helen Keller

The inspiring life of 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.

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
sponge.
Accompanied by the loyal Anne Sullivan, Keller went to school and soon excelled as a
student. She was even accepted by a top university and became the first deaf and blind
person to ever earn a bachelor of arts degree. But that was just the start. She was now
reading Braille in several languages and became very interested in politics and social
issues. Despite her challenges, Keller set out to make a difference in the world.
Soon she was deeply involved in many issues - voting rights for women, better treatment
for the disabled, anti-war campaigns, and social justice. She wrote salient letters to
newspapers, gave rousing speeches, wrote bestselling books, came up with all kinds of
ideas and slogans, and even helped found the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).
She was like a whirlwind!

Helen Keller, The Story of My Life,

Keller made rapid progress and quickly overcame her bad habits. She became proficient in Braille and was able to begin a fruitful education, despite her disability.      Keller made more progress than anyone expected. She would later learn to write with a Braille typewriter.

Keller came into contact with American author, Mark Twain. Twain admired the perseverance of Keller and helped persuade Henry Rogers, an oil businessman to fund her education. With great difficulty, Keller was able to study at Radcliffe College, wherein 1904, she was able to graduate with a Bachelor of Arts degree. During her education, she also learned to speak and practise lip-reading. Her sense of touch became extremely subtle. She also found that deafness and blindness encouraged her to develop wisdom and understanding from beyond the senses.

Helen Keller’s brilliant mind and the inspiring story won her many fans and a high profile
worldwide. She was friends with people like author Mark Twain and met with every
An American president who served during her lifetime.

Above all, she inspired others not to let physical challenges stand in the way of achieving
their full potentials.

The only thing worse than being blind is having sight but no vision. Helen Keller

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