Helen Adams Keller (1880-1968) was an American author, journalist, political activist and educator of America. She was the 1st deaf blind person, who got Bachelor of Arts degree. She was also member of Socialist Party of America and of Industrial Workers of the world .As a social activist, She was raised her voice against women’s suffrage, for labor right, socialism and other causes. Her birthday on June 27 is remembered as Helen Keller Day in U.S. state of Pennsylvania. “The Miracle Worker” film was based on her autobiography “The Story of my Life”, which got lots of Award .In which how Anne Sullivan, tutored her with her tremendous ideology, that was beautifully represented.
Early Life
Helen was born to Arther H. Keller and Katherine Adams Keller. She had also a younger sister and a step brother. Keller's father had proudly served as an officer in the Confederate Army during the Civil War. After that he became a News editor of North Alabamian. Helen was born like as normal healthy child, but after 19 month she fell in illness with scarlet fever. That left her both deaf and blind.
As Keller grew into childhood, she developed a limited method of communication with her companion, Martha Washington, the young daughter of the family cook. The two had created a type of sign language, and by the time Keller was 7, they had invented more than 60 signs to communicate with each other. But Keller had become very wild and unruly during this time. She would kick and scream when angry, and giggle uncontrollably when happy. She tormented Martha and inflicted raging tantrums on her parents. Many family relatives felt she should be institutionalized.
In 1886, Keller's mother, inspired by an account in Charles Dickens' American Notes of the successful education of another deaf and blind woman, Laura Bridgman, dispatched young Helen, accompanied by her father, to seek out physician J. Julian Chisolm, an eye, ear, nose, and throat specialist in Baltimore, for advice. Chisholm referred the Kellers to Alexander Graham Bell, who was working with deaf children at the time. Bell advised them to contact the Perkins Institute for the Blind, the school where Bridgman had been educated, which was then located in South Boston. Michael Anagnos, the school's director, asked 20-year-old former student Anne Sullivan, herself visually impaired, to become Keller's instructor.
In 1987 Anne Sullivan was Join Helen as her mentor. At first Helen refused to cooperate Sullivan’s Instruction. That’s why Sullivan decided to isolate her from her family for Helen to concentrate more on her instruction. And she succeeds. She taught her with physical example. While Sullivan moved the lever to flush cool water over Keller's hand, she spelled out the word water on Helen's other hand. Keller understood and repeated the word in Sullivan's hand. She then pounded the ground, demanding to know its "letter name." Sullivan followed her, spelling, out the word into her hand. Keller moved to other objects with Sullivan in tow. By nightfall, she had learned 30 words.
Education
In may 1888,Keller attended the Perkins Institute for the Blind. After that Helen Keller joined Wright-Humanson School for Deaf, in 1894. At that time, Sarah Fuller taught her at Horace Mann School for the Deaf. In 1896,She went to The Cambridge School for Young Ladies. At that time she connected with famous American writer Mark Twain. With the help of Henery H. Rogers, who was a friend of Mark, She joined to Radcliffe College. In 1904, at the age of 24, Helen graduated from Radcliffe College and became 1st graduate deaf & person in Human History. With the help of Sullivan and Sullivan's future husband, John Macy, Keller wrote her first book, “The Story of My Life”. Until this time, Keller had mastered several methods of communication, including touch-lip reading, Braille, speech, typing and finger-spelling.
After some time Sullivan married to John Macy, who was an instructor of Harvard University. But because of some reason they separated.
Social &Political Activity
After graduation, she was started to link with people problems. , She campaigned against women’s suffrage, for labor right, socialism and other causes. At the time she was a celebrity Lecturer. People liked her thought. In 1915 she started to help people, who were in blindness and malnutrition with George Kessler.In1920,she became co-founder of American Civil Liberties Union.
Helen became member of socialist Party in between 1909-1921.She supported socialist party candidate Eugene V. Debs for president candidate. At that time she was one of frequent campaigner of socialist party, she wrote lots of article to inspire people with her thought.
In 1936, most specious mentor of Helen Sullivan died. After that time she felt some health problems. After Sullivan, young Poly Thompson became her mentor. In1946, Keller was appointed counselor of international relations for the American Foundation of Overseas Blind. At that time, she dedicated her life to improving the conditions of blind and the deaf-blind around the world, lecturing in more than 25 countries on the five major continents. Wherever she appeared, she brought new courage to millions of blind people with her speeches.
Last Time
After getting series strokes in 1961, she spent rest of her life in House at Connecticut. President Lyndon B. Johnson awarded her the Presidential Medal of Freedom, one of the United States' two highest civilian honors. In 1965 she was elected to the National Women's Hall of Fame at the New York World's Fair. She died on June 1968 during sleep. Helen Keller has most inspirable personality. What she did or achieved in her life only through her strong will power and hard work. May be she was a person with disabilities, but what she did in her life ,that made her Legend.
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