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
mothers hand passing in front of
her eyes
Helens illness left her blind and
deaf
Help For Helen

Helens 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 Kellers 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
Helens hand to help her recognize what
Anne had brought for Helen
Helen could repeat the movements on
her hand, but didnt 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 Helens hand under the water
Anne immediately spelled out water
over and over on Helens 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
Coolidges
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
Helens Graduation Picture
Helens Publications

1903-Helens first book The Story

of My Life
1913-Out of the Dark-series of
essays on socialism
1955-Teacher-book about Anne
Sullivan
Helens 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 Worlds
Fair, she was elected to
Womens Hall of Fame
The End of Helens 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
Helens 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