Helen Keller Overcoming Obstacles
By Angelica Ross
Childhood
Helen Adams Keller was born in a small town, Tuscumbia, Alabama, on June 27, 1880. She was a normal kid at a young age. Her parents, Kate and Arthur, were normal parents as well. Her father, Colonial Arthur Keller, was the Governor of Virginia. When she was 19 months old, she lost her sight and hearing from a disease people today still aren't sure what she caught. Many people believe it was scarlet fever. Her parents chose to send Helen to Anne Sullivan to learn how to communicate to other people.
About Anne Sullivan
Anne Mansfield Sullivan was a 20-year-old lady that graduated from the Perkins School for the Blind. She taught Helen the letters of the alphabet by writing the shape of the letters on her hand. She would spell a word out on Helen's hand and have Helen touch the object Anne spelled out. Their word they discovered together for the first time was water.
Education and Accomplishments
Once Helen Keller learned to communicate with other people, she went to Radcliffe College and became the first deaf-blind person to enter and receive a Bachelor of Arts. Once she graduated college, she went on to write many books including The Story of My Life and The World I Live in. Between 1946 and 1957 she went to seven countries to see many people and meet many world leaders as well. In 1948, she went to Japan as America's first Goodwill Ambassador. This drew attention to the people in Japan that were blind and disabled. In 1955, when she 75 years old, she went on a 5 month tour in Asia traveling 40,000 miles.
"Although the world is full of suffering, it is full of the overcoming of it." - Helen Keller
Death
Helen Adams Keller died June 1, 1968. She suffered a stroke in 1960 which put her in Arcan Ridge. She lived a quiet calm life until she died. Her ashes were placed next to Anne Sullivan in St. Joseph's Chapel of Washington Cathedral. Helen Keller may be gone, but her spirit will always be with us. She was a very strong woman that wouldn't give up when life gave her a tough obstacle go through. She was a great woman and a great inspiration.
Mini Bio: Helen Keller
Works Cited
"Helen Keller Biography." - American Foundation for the Blind. Web. 21 Mar. 2016.
"Quotations by Author." Helen Keller Quotes. Web. 21 Mar. 2016.
"RNIB: Supporting Blind and Partially Sighted People." Who Was Helen Keller? Web. 21 Mar. 2016.