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