The Life Of Helen Keller
By: Katie Bridges
ETE 100-Online
Section
September 29,
2005
About Helen
Named Helen Adams Keller
Born June 27, 1880 in Tuscumbia,
Alabama
Daughter of Captain Arthur Henley
Keller and Kate Adams Keller
Was born with full sight and hearing
A Change For The Worse
February 1882, when Helen was 19 months
old, she fell ill
Doctors called it “brain fever” otherwise
known today as scarlet fever or meningitis
For many days, she was expected to die
When the fever went away, her family thought
she was in the clear
A Change For The Worse
(Cont)
Her mother noticed that Helen was
not responding to the dinner bell
when rung
Also, she was responding to her
mother’s hand passing in front of
her eyes
Helen’s illness left her blind and
deaf
Help For Helen
Helen’s mother took her to a specialist doctor
in Baltimore who suggested that they meet
with Alexander Graham Bell
Alexander Graham Bell was the local expert
on the problems of children who are deaf
Bell told the Keller family to write Michael
Anagnos-director of the Perkins Institution
and Massachusetts Asylum for the Blind
Helen & Alexander Graham
Bell
Help For Helen (Cont)
The Keller’s asked Anagnos to help
find a teacher for Helen
He immediately recommended
Anne Sullivan who was a former
student of the institution
Helen Meets Anne
Met for the first time on March 3, 1887
Starting teaching Helen immediately
She spelled out the word “doll” on
Helen’s hand to help her recognize what
Anne had brought for Helen
Helen could repeat the movements on
her hand, but didn’t know what they
meant
A Picture of Anne Sullivan
Starting To Make Sense
Anne took Helen down a path to a well-
house
Someone was pumping water and Anne
put Helen’s hand under the water
Anne immediately spelled out “water”
over and over on Helen’s hand
Helen make the connection between the
word “water” and the flowing liquid
The Learning Never Stops
Helen learned the spelling of 30 words
within the next few hours after the water
Learned to understand what others
were saying by touching their lips and
throat
Helen could not speak due to her vocal
chords not being trained prior to being
taught how to speak
Helen Reading Lips
Helen
reading Mrs.
Calvin
Coolidge’s
lips with her
hand
Helen Goes To College
Helen was the first person who was blind and
deaf to ever enter an institution of higher
learning
She enrolled in the fall of 1900
She was the first person was was blind and
deaf to earn a bachelor of Arts degree
Helen graduated cum laude from Radcliffe
College on June 28, 1904
Helen’s Graduation Picture
Helen’s Publications
1903-Helen’s first book The Story
of My Life
1913-Out of the Dark-series of
essays on socialism
1955-Teacher-book about Anne
Sullivan
Helen’s Contribution to
Society
Had fundraising tours for the American
Foundation for the Blind
After World War II, Helen traveled the
world fundraising for the American
Foundation for the Overseas Blind
Campaigned to help with the living and
working conditions for people who were
blind
Awards For Helen
Was awarded the Presidential
Medal of Freedom in 1964 by
President Lyndon Johnson
1965-At the New York World’s
Fair, she was elected to
Women’s Hall of Fame
The End of Helen’s Life
Helen died on June 1, 1968 in Arcan
Ridge at the age of 87
She died peacefully in her sleep
Her lifelong dream was to be able to
talk, something she never got to master
in life
Helen’s Obituary Picture
Bibliography
http://memory.loc.gov/service/pnp/cph/3c100
00/3c11000/3c11700/3c11738v.jpg
http://www.afb.org/braillebug/helen_keller_bio
.asp
http://lcweb2.loc.gov/cocoon/legacies/AL/200
002670.html
http://www.nytimes.com/learning/general/onth
isday/bday/6027.html
http://www.rnib.org.uk/xpedio/groups/public/d
oucuments/publicwebsite/public_keller.hcsp