Helen Keller

Helen Keller

Helen’s life changed when Anne Sullivan arrived. Miss Sullivan was a graduate of the Perkins School for the Blind, who had regained sight through several of operations. She used letters to spell the name of objects that Helen was able to feel with her fingers. Helen’s first word was water. Later, she learned to speak by putting her fingers against Miss Sullivan’s throat and feeling the vibrations of Miss Sullivan’s speech.

This began Helen’s education. She entered the Cambridge School for Young Ladies. Annie had to attend every class Helen went to, spelling into her hand whatever the teacher said. She took honors in English and German and received the highest grade in English. Helen’s schooling ended when she received her B.A. In recognition of her wide knowledge and many scholarly achievements, she received honorary doctoral degrees from Temple University, Harvard University and from the Universities of Glasgow, Scotland; Berlin, Germany, etc… in addition, she was also an Honorary Fellow of the Educational Institute of Scotland.

Helen would have remained a mystery if it wasn’t for Michael Anagnos and Alexander Graham Bell. The description of the 56th annual report of the Perkins Institution amazed the country, and by age 10, Helen was famous. In 1924, Helen began to raise funds for the nascent American foundation for the blind . She published many books which include; The Story of My life, Optimism: an essay, The World I live in, Midstream: My Later Life, Helen Keller in Scotland, Helen Keller’s journal, Helen Keller: her socialist years, etc… In addition, she was a constant contributor to magazines and newspapers, which focused on blindness, deafness, and women’s rights. Miss Keller also received the Americas Award for Inter-American Unity, the Gold Medal Award from the National Institute of Social Sciences, the National Humanitarian Award from Variety Clubs International, etc, and held honorary memberships in scientific societies and philanthropic...

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