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borm on june 27,1880 in tuscumbia, Alabama, United States.
Helen Keller was the first of two daughters born to Arthur H. Keller and Katherine Adams Keller. She also had two older stepbrothers.The family was not particularly wealthy and earned income from their cotton plantation. Later, Arthur became the editor of a weekly local newspaper, the North Alabamian.Keller was born with her senses of sight and hearing, and started speaking when she was just 6 months old. She started walking at the age 1 -
Synopsis
she fell ill and was struck blind, deaf and mute. Beginning in 1887, Keller's teacher, Anne Sullivan, helped her make tremendous progress with her ability to communicate, and Keller went on to college, graduating in 1904. In 1920, Keller helped found the ACLU. During her lifetime, she received many honors in recognition of her accomplishments. -
Early Childhood
Keller contracted an illness—called "brain fever" by the family doctor—that produced a high body temperature.Within a few days after the fever broke, Keller's mother noticed that her daughter didn't show any reaction when the dinner bell was rung, or when a hand was waved in front of her face. Keller had lost both her sight and hearing. She was just 19 months old.As Keller grew into childhood, she developed a limited method of communication with her companion.She would kick and scream when angry -
education
With the help of Sullivan and Sullivan's future husband, John Macy, Keller wrote her first book, The Story of My Life. It covered her transformation from childhood to 21-year-old college student. Keller graduated, cum laude, from Radcliffe in 1904, at the age of 24. -
Education
Keller began speech classes at the Horace Mann School for the Deaf in Boston. She would toil for 25 years to learn to speak so that others could understand her. From 1894 to 1896, she attended the Wright-Humason School for the Deaf in New York City. There, she worked on improving her communication skills and studied regular academic subjects. By this time, Keller had mastered several methods of communication, including touch-lip reading, Braille, speech, typing and finger-spelling -
Publications
Keller published many articles, essays and books. Among them are two autobiographies, “The Story of My Life” and “Midstream: My Later Life,” and a biography of her life with Sullivan called “Teacher: Anne Sullivan.” She also published “Optimism: An Essay,” “The World I Live in,” “The Song of the Stone Wall,” “Out of the Dark,” “My Religion,” “Peace at Eventide,” “Helen Keller in Scotland,” “Helen Keller's Journal,” “Let Us Have Faith” and “The Open Door.” -
Social Activism
She became a well-known celebrity and lecturer by sharing her experiences with audiences, and working on behalf of others living with disabilities. Throughout the first half of the 20th century, Keller tackled social and political issues, including women's suffrage, pacifism and birth control. She testified before Congress, strongly advocating to improve the welfare of blind people. In 1915, along with renowned city planner George Kessler. -
Death
Keller died in her sleep on June 1, 1968, just a few weeks before her 88th birthday. During her remarkable life, Keller stood as a powerful example of how determination, hard work, and imagination can allow an individual to triumph over adversity. By overcoming difficult conditions with a great deal of persistence, she grew into a respected and world-renowned activist who labored for the betterment of others.
