Helen Keller was an inspirational American author, speaker, and activist who overcame adversity to become the first deaf-blind person to earn a Bachelor’s degree. Despite facing significant challenges in a world not designed for those with disabilities, Helen went on to champion causes like women’s suffrage, labor rights, and disability advocacy. Through hard work, perseverance, and support from those who believed in her, she succeeded in bringing change to perceptions about the capabilities of disabled persons.
When and where was Helen Keller born?
| Date of Birth | June 27, 1880 |
| Location | Tuscumbia, Alabama |
Helen Adams Keller was born on June 27, 1880 in Tuscumbia, Alabama to parents Kate Adams Keller and Arthur H. Keller. The family lived on their plantation called Ivy Green. Helen was born a healthy child and started walking and communicating at the typical age for infants, showing early signs of normal development.
What illness caused Helen to lose her sight and hearing?
When Helen was 19 months old in early 1882, she contracted an unknown illness that might have been scarlet fever or meningitis. The illness left Helen deaf and blind. The sudden loss of two senses significantly altered Helen’s early life and ability to communicate. Without specialized education tailored to her needs, Helen struggled to connect with the outside world.
How did Anne Sullivan help Helen communicate?
In 1887 at age 7, Helen began working with Anne Sullivan, a young visually impaired teacher sent by Alexander Graham Bell. Anne taught Helen manual sign language and the manual alphabet, spelling vocabulary into Helen’s palm so she could connect physical touch cues with information.
Helen’s big breakthrough came a month later when Anne spelled the word “water” while directing Helen’s hands under an outdoor pump. Helen suddenly realized the symbolic connection between nouns and physical objects, leading her to touch Anne’s face and learn the signs for all the objects around her.
What education did Helen Keller receive?
| 1887 – 1890 | Perkins School for the Blind, Boston |
| 1894 – 1896 | Wright-Humason School for the Deaf, New York City |
| 1900 – 1904 | Radcliffe College. First deaf-blind person to earn Bachelor of Arts degree |
Helen Keller dedicated her life to learning despite her dual disability. After learning communication basics from Anne Sullivan, Helen attended the Perkins School for the Blind in Boston from 1887-1890 and gained literacy and academic skills. From 1894-1896 she honed auditory and speech skills at Wright-Humason School for the Deaf in New York City.
Helen’s crowning academic achievement came when she entered Radcliffe College in 1900, graduating cum laude in 1904 and becoming the first deaf-blind person to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree.
What did Helen Keller do after graduating college?
After graduating from Radcliffe, Helen Keller embarked upon a lifetime as an author, political activist and lecturer. Some of her accomplishments include:
- Authoring 12 published books and hundreds of articles
- Co-founding the ACLU to advocate for disability rights, women’s suffrage and civil liberties
- Campaigning for disabled persons’ right to employment and fair wages
- Lecturing internationally as a champion for deaf and blind education
- Serving as an activist with the women’s suffrage movement to grant women voting access
- Acting as a spokesperson supporting the National Federation of the Blind
- Founding Helen Keller International in 1915 to prevent blindness and malnutrition
Despite initial fears that Helen would not be able to communicate or contribute meaningfully to society, she dedicated her life to driving change and bringing attention to causes affecting disabled and marginalized groups.
Who was Anne Sullivan?
Anne Sullivan was Helen Keller’s teacher who helped the deaf-blind child communicate and access education. Some key facts about Anne Sullivan:
- Lost her sight at age 5 due to trachoma disease
- Graduated valedictorian from Perkins School for the Blind in 1886
- Became Keller’s instructor in 1887 at age 20 and helped Helen learn Braille and sign language
- Remained Keller’s constant companion until Sullivan’s death in 1936
- Was nicknamed “miracle worker” for lifetime work with Keller that opened doors to the deaf-blind
Anne Sullivan overcame her own disability to make breakthrough communication possible for Helen Keller. She helped Keller learn language and concepts that no deaf-blind individual had comprehended before. The pair are regarded as inspirational pioneers in deaf-blind education thanks to Sullivan’s skilled, patient instruction.
What was Helen Keller’s family life as an adult?
In 1905, 25 year-old Helen Keller began pursuing a writing career by publishing her autobiography The Story of My Life with help from Anne Sullivan. The best-selling book helped establish Keller as a public figure. Around this time, she also met her future husband at a speaking engagement.
Here are some insights into Helen Keller’s later family life:
- Married editor John Macy in 1914, but divorced 5 years later
- Remarried politician Peter Fagan in 1926 but divorced within the year
- Traveled the world with Anne Sullivan, who remained her constant companion for 49 years
- Continued living close to Sullivan until her death, then lived with a nurse companion
- Never had children, but lived a public life dedicated to activism and writing
Despite unsuccessful marriages, Helen focused her energy on friendship, learning and championing her causes. She helped bring issues facing those with disabilities to light and never let her obstacles prevent her from educating, writing, speaking publicly and pushing societal change.
What awards and honors did Helen Keller receive for her work?
During her lifetime at the forefront of disability advocacy, Helen Keller accumulated numerous awards and accolades including:
| 1935 | Elected to National Women’s Hall of Fame |
| 1955 | Awarded America’s highest civilian honor – the Presidential Medal of Freedom |
| 1961 | Gold Medal from National Institute of Arts & Letters |
| 1964 | Highest U.S. civilian award – the Presidential Medal of Freedom (upgraded to this level) |
In addition, Keller received honorary law degrees from Temple University and Harvard University, as well as over 40 honorary doctoral degrees from universities worldwide. She was also inducted into the Alabama Women’s Hall of Fame and given a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1960.
Few individuals of Keller’s era were as decorated and honored for their activism, writing, speaking and role as an international ambassador for individuals with disabilities. Helen Keller brought attention, dignity and advances in equality for deaf-blind and disabled persons through her lifetime of advocacy.
When and how did Helen Keller die?
| Date of Death | June 1, 1968 at age 87 |
| Cause | Natural causes |
| Location | Easton, Connecticut home |
By age 87, Helen Keller had lost her companion Anne Sullivan as well as her elder sister Mildred, who had married Helen’s agent. Her last years were spent living alone with nurses in her Connecticut home she named Arcan Ridge.
In 1961 at age 80, Keller suffered a stroke that severely impacted her abilities after a lifetime beyond expectations for a deaf-blind person in that era. She continued sharing her story and advocating her causes as much as health permitted until her death seven years later on June 1, 1968 from natural age-related causes. Keller was cremated, and her ashes remained alongside her partner Anne Sullivan at the National Cathedral in Washington D.C.
Conclusion
Helen Keller lived a life that demonstrated the indomitable power of the human spirit. Despite losing her sight and hearing from illness as a toddler, she learned to communicate, graduated college, authored books, advocated tirelessly for the disabled, helped found organizations and traveled the world campaigning for human rights causes.
Keller’s successes were possible through her own perseverance and courage, coupled with the skilled devotion of her teacher Anne Sullivan. Together, student and teacher achieved what doctors assumed was impossible for a deaf-blind individual in the late 1800s. Keller went on to blaze trails in education, accessibility and awareness for disabled individuals worldwide.
While Keller overcame extreme adversity, her life was not without struggles. Failed marriages and inability to have children may have brought private sorrow, but publicly Keller lived for others. Her decades traveling the world aimed to open minds, doors and opportunities for marginalized groups. From public policy changes to groundbreaking educational methods, Keller bettered life for generations to come.
The next time adversity arrives, remember Keller’s words: “Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement.” Keller’s life demonstrated time and again the stunning heights possible through optimism, courage and determination to achieve one’s highest calling against all odds. Helen Keller remains among the most revered and inspirational figures of the 20th century for good reason – she represents the best of what humanity can become.
FAQs
Why is Helen Keller still famous today?
Despite losing sight and hearing as a toddler in the late 1800s, Helen Keller overcame tremendous odds to become the 20th century’s most influential advocate for accessibility and opportunities for the disabled. Her remarkable communication skills, Ivy League degree, and prolific authorship made her an iconic example of courage through adversity.
What was Helen Keller’s main message and mission?
Keller devoted her life to advocating for those with disabilities and speaking out against discrimination. Her central message involved society empowering the disadvantaged through adequate education, employment rights, independence, and participation in civic life. She championed equal treatment and possibilities for disabled people.
How did Anne Sullivan teach Helen to communicate?
Anne Sullivan taught finger spelling to a 7-year old Keller, spelling vocabulary into her palm so she could connect physical touch with information. At a water pump months later, Sullivan spelled “water” as it gushed over Keller’s hands, allowing her to grasp the link between words and objects—a revolutionary insight at the time.
Why was Helen Keller important to education?
Keller was the first deaf and blind person admitted to college, graduating with high honors from Radcliffe College in 1904. This helped shift perceptions on disabled persons’ capacities and inspired new methods like raised print materials, recorded textbooks, Braille innovations and sign interpreting—opening doors to higher academic achievement.
What was Helen Keller’s role in politics?
A prolific writer and speaker, Keller advocated tirelessly for progressive causes like women’s suffrage, workers’ rights, and civil rights. She co-founded organizations that eventually became the ACLU, campaigned for disabled employment equality, gave lectures worldwide, and published political writings that supported socialist ideology aimed at helping disadvantaged groups.