Helen Keller
Imagine a life without vision or, maybe, without your hearing abilities—how difficult it can be. And now, imagine a life without both your vision and your hearing. That was the life of the famous Helen Keller. She was an extraordinary woman who, despite having such an immense challenge in her life, proved nothing can stop her. She became one of the greatest advocates of disabled people and worked on many ways to better their lives. Her life started as a frustrated kid who was unable to communicate and turned into a prominent figure who transformed her life and became a speaker and author.
Helen was born in Alabama on June 27, 1980. She was the daughter of Captain Arthur H. Keller and Catherine Adams Keller. She was born a healthy baby, but when she was 19 months old, she suffered from a severe illness, which resulted in her being both blind and deaf. This was a devastating impact, as suddenly now she was pushed into the world of darkness. Her childhood was surrounded by a lot of irritation and struggle, even though her family was extremely protective of her. Even though she was disabled, she was still able to communicate in a limited way with her family using more than 60 signs. She had an extremely close bond with the family cook’s daughter, Martha Washington, who was two years older than her. Martha was the first person who was able to understand Helen’s sign language. Her inability to communicate would frequently result in tantrums and issues. Helen would fail to express her needs and emotions, but her family tried their best to understand.
She had two elder step brothers, James and William, and two full siblings, Mildred and Phillips. Her education began at the age of seven when her parents contacted Alexander Graham Bell, who advised them to contact the Perkins Institute for the Blind. The director of the school suggested Anna Sullivan, a 20-year-old visually impaired graduate, to become Helen’s teacher. Anna’s entry into Helen’s life was a turning point in the blind and deaf Helen’s life. This resulted in a 50-year-long friendship between them.
The day when Anna went to the Keller house, she immediately started teaching Helen how to communicate words using her hand; she spelled a doll to represent the doll that she had brought for her as a present. Helen would not always understand what Anna was trying to describe to her and at times would get extremely frustrated while trying to identify those objects. During one such incident, she was so disturbed that she broke a mug Anna was trying to teach her. Eventually, a turning point came when Anna spelled water while running water on Helen’s hand. This made Helen understand the concept that Anna was trying to represent objects and ideas. This resulted in Hellen wanting to learn more sign names regarding the familiar objects around her.
She attended the Perkins Institute for the Blind in 1888, and then she attended the William Wade House and finished school in 1893. She attended the Wright-Humason School for the Deaf in 1894 and entered the Cambridge School for Young Ladies in 1896. She was the first blind person to earn a bachelor’s degree in arts from the Radcliffe College of Howard University in 1904.
Helen had always been interested in poetry, history, economics, foreign language, and philosophy, and Anna would love to read them to her companion. Anna was not only her companion but also one of her support systems when she got married to John Macy in 1905. Polly Thompson was hired to keep the house. Polly made progress on working as a secretary for Helen.
Helen kept on traveling the world and would give various speeches and advocate for people with disabilities. She had traveled to more than 40 countries where she would motivate people to overcome their challenges. In 1915, she founded the Helen Keller International, and then in 1920, she helped in founding the American Civil Liberties Union.
Despite her challenges, she was extremely popular in Japan and had met various US presidents. She was friends with popular figures like Charlie Chaplin, Mark Twain, Alexander Graham Bell, etc. She believed children from poor families should also be provided the same opportunities as children from rich families. She advocated for women’s rights to vote and was one of the prominent figures at that time.
Helen published 12 books and many articles, including The Frost King (1891), The Story of My Life (1903), The World I Live In (1908), The Miracle of Light (1909), etc. At the age of 22, she published her autobiography, and in 1908, Helen wrote a book that gave the readers an insight into what she felt about the world with her disabilities.
In 1961, she suffered multiple strokes. She was awarded various awards and honors like the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1964, the Legion of Honor from France, honorary degrees from various universities, etc. On 1 June 1968. She died peacefully in her sleep. Her life is a testimony to human capacity and shows how an individual can transform themselves, despite various difficulties. She advocated for people who faced disabilities, and her work is still inspiring millions.
