Name: Ni na Amani

Cl as s : 5 Ut ar i d
Ti t l e: Hel en Kel l er

Hel en Kel l er was made bl i nd and deaf t hr ough f ever at t he age of
ni net een mont hs . Bor n i n 1880, at a t i me when bl i nd or deaf peopl e wer e
l i kel y t o be c ons i gned t o t he poor hous e or as y l um, s he went on t o l i ve a
f ul l er and mor e advent ur ous l i f e t han many bef or e.
Robbed by i l l nes s of t wo of her s ens es , s he us ed t he ot her s t o t r y and
f ul l y ex per i enc e and l ear n about t he wor l d s he l i ved i n. As a c hi l d, s he had
i nvent ed a voc abul ar y of ar ound s i x t y s i gns t o c ommuni c at e wi t h t hos e
ar ound her . She l ear ned t o do c er t ai n t as ks ar ound t he hous e, and t o
i dent i f y peopl e by f eel i ng t hei r c l ot hes an d f ac es .
I t i s not har d t o i magi ne t hat Hel en s behav i our , bor n of f r us t r at i on
wi t h t he l i mi t s pl ac ed on her l i f e, was f r us t r at i ng f or her par ent s t oo.
Event ual l y , t hey dec i ded t o hi r e a pr i vat e t ut or t o as s i s t wi t h her educ at i on
and upbr i ngi ng. For Hel en, t hi s was a wor l d- c hangi ng day, and one s he was
l at er t o des c r i be as " t he mos t i mpor t ant day i n al l my l i f e" .
Anne Sul l i van was her t ut or . Her s el f vi s ual l y i mpai r ed, Sul l i van had
ear ned t he r eput at i on of bei ng a r ebel l i ous pupi l bec aus e s he s har ed t hi s
c ommon gr ound wi t h Hel en, s he was per haps t he i deal woman f or t he t as k .
She bec ame not onl y a t eac her t o Hel en, but a f r i end and c ompani on t o her
unt i l s he di ed.
Anne began t o t eac h Hel en t he al phabet by s pel l i ng i ndi vi dual l et t er s
i nt o her hand f or her t o f eel . Al t hough s he l ear ned t he s hapes , s he di d not
yet r eal i s e t he l i nk bet ween t hes e s hapes and wor ds , or t he i deas t he
wor ds r epr es ent ed.
Thi s c hanged one day dur i ng a wal k t o t he wel l . Anne s pel l ed t he
l et t er s W- A- T- E- R on t o Hel en s hand, and t hen pu mped wat er on i t . Wi t h
s ome r epet i t i on, Hel en r eal i s ed t hat t he l et t er s wer e a way of r ef er r i ng t o
t he l i qui d. To Hel en, t he i dea t hat ever y obj ec t had a name was a c ompl et e
r evel at i on.
Des pi t e bei ng bl i nd and deaf , i t was c l ear t hat Hel en had a
r emar k abl e gi f t f or c ommuni c at i on. She l ear ned t o r ead and wr i t e Br ai l l e,
and t o r ead l i ps by f eel i ng t he s hapes and vi br at i ons f or med by peopl e s
mout hs as t hey s peak . Thi s f or m of l i p - r eadi ng i s one t hat i s ver y di f f i c ul t ,
and f ew peopl e ever manage t o d o i t s uc c es s f ul l y .
I t bec ame c l ear t hat Hel en needed bet t er l ear ni ng f ac i l i t i es i f s he
was t o r eac h her pot ent i al , and s he was enr ol l ed i n Per k i ns I ns t i t ut e f or
t he bl i nd. Thi s was Anne Sul l i van s ol d s c hool , and a wor l d - f amous
i ns t i t ut i on f or t he educ at i on of bl i nd c hi l dr en. Anne went t hr ough s c hool
wi t h her and hel ped her by i nt er pr et i ng and t r ans c r i bi ng book s i nt o Br ai l l e.
I n 1904 , s he gr aduat ed f r om Radc l i f f e Col l ege, di s pr ov i ng t hos e who
s ai d t hat s he c oul d not hope t o c ompet e wi t h s t udent s who c an s ee and
hear . I n f ac t , her det er mi nat i on and br i l l i ant memor y made her an
ex c el l ent s c hol ar . Whi l e at c ol l ege, s he wr ot e The St or y of My L i f e , and
t he edi t or of whi c h went on t o mar r y Anne Sul l i van.
Af t er t he 1921 f oundi ng of t he Amer i c an Feder at i on f or t he Bl i nd,
Hel en t r avel l ed, wr ot e and s poke ex t ens i vel y i n her r ol e as s pokes woman.
I n a wor l d of i nj us t i c e and pover t y, wher e women, t he di s abl ed and t he
wor ki ng c l as s wer e ef f ec t i vel y di s enf r anc hi s ed, Hel en r ai l ed agai ns t t he
i nequal i t y s he f ound.
Thr ough her wor k , Hel en dr ew at t ent i on t o t he peopl e who had of t en
been over l ooked. She bec ame al mos t a hous ehol d name by t he t i me s he
di ed at t he age of 88. Af t er her deat h, t he Hel en Kel l er I nt er nat i onal was
f ounded t o f i ght t he s c our ge of bl i ndnes s i n t he de vel opi ng wor l d.
Hel en Kel l er was not t he onl y di s abl ed per s on who s uc c eeded i n
l i v i ng l i f e t o t he f ul l . Many mor e have s i nc e t hen, and wi l l no doubt
c ont i nue t o do s o. She was , however , a gr eat i ns pi r at i on f or mi l l i ons of
peopl e al l over t he wor l d; mi l l i o ns who ar e deaf , bl i nd, bot h, or nei t her .
Hel en s s uc c es s woul d have been i mpos s i bl e wi t hout t he c ooper at i on of her
c ompani ons l i k e Anne Sul l i v an, and s t ands as a r emi nder t hat onl y t hr ough
c ooper at i on and dogged det er mi nat i on c ombi ned c an any human bei ng l i ve
a l i f e whi c h i s wor t hy of t he name.