Helen Keller Day takes time out to celebrate the remarkable achievements and life of Helen Keller, a woman who overcame blindness and deafness and became a legend in the process.
Who is Helen Keller?
Helen Keller was born June 27, 1880, in Tuscumbia, Alabama. Sadly, things turned bad quickly. At just nineteen months old, she suffered from a form of bacterial meningitis, which left her unable to see, hear, or speak. The family were devastated and immediately sought the advice of their friend, Alexander Graham Bell (a famous scientist and inventor who happened to invent that thing we call the telephone. Thanks, Bell! We owe you one!) It was he who advised them to apply to the Perkins Institute for the Blind in Boston.
They followed Bell’s advice, and in 1887, Keller was taught by Anne Sullivan, a young teacher who had suffered vision impairment herself. Sullivan used “touch teaching” techniques, and under her experienced guidance, calmed the seemingly uncontrollable Keller down. It was said Keller was unruly until she met Sullivan! Keller learned how to read and write in Braille, thanks to Sullivan’s own experiences—clearly giving her a deeper understanding of her own student’s struggles.
Did you know?
Helen was obsessed with animals but had a real soft spot for dogs. She owned a variety of dogs throughout her life. The first Akita dog in the United States was sent to Helen from Japan in 1938. Now that’s seriously pawsome! Haha!
Here are three things you probably didn’t know about the great Helen Keller!
- Mastered it!
Helen Keller was the first deaf and blind person in history to earn a degree in College. Yip, that’s right! She graduated from Radcliffe College, with honours, in 1904.
- Globetrotter!
She was a bit of a globetrotter! Helen visited a whopping 39 countries around the globe during her lifetime. From the UK to Syria and Japan. During her travels, Keller would often meet super important people like prime ministers and presidents to try and get more help and money for educating blind people, deaf people, and people with disabilities. How awesome is that?
- Helen Keller was best friends with Mark Twain.
A friendship grew one day in 1895 when then-teenager Keller had lunch in New York with Twain. She met Twain as a teenager. Later, she wrote that he “treated me not as a freak, but as a handicapped woman seeking a way to circumvent extraordinary difficulties.” Twain had a daughter the same age as Keller, and eventually, the two bonded over their political views and mutual admiration for each other. She would recognise the author by his scent, as he often reeked of tobacco. Ewww! Twain even convinced the industrialist Henry Huttleston Rogers to help pay for Keller’s education. Nice one!
What a life she lived! Do you perhaps know something we don’t know about Helen Keller? Feel free to drop us a message on our social media pages or email us. We’d love to hear from you!
Till next time UR-Eekahians! Keep dreaming! If Helen Keller can do it, so can you!
Resource:
https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/81472/10-things-you-might-not-know-about-helen-keller
Helen Keller
Helen the Hero
Helen Keller Day takes time out to celebrate the remarkable achievements and life of Helen Keller, a woman who overcame blindness and deafness and became a legend in the process.
Helen Keller was born June 27, 1880, in Tuscumbia, Alabama.
Sadly, things turned bad quickly.
At just nineteen months old, she suffered from a form of bacterial meningitis, which left her unable to see, hear, or speak.
The family were devastated and immediately sought the advice of their friend, Alexander Graham Bell (a famous scientist and inventor who happened to invent that thing we call the telephone).
Thanks, Bell!
We owe you one!
It was he who advised them to apply to the Perkins Institute for the Blind in Boston.
They followed Bell’s advice, and in 1887, Keller was taught by Anne Sullivan, a young teacher who had suffered vision impairment herself.
It was said Helen was unruly until she met Anne Sullivan!
Sullivan used “touch teaching” techniques, and with her experienced guidance, calmed the seemingly uncontrollable Helen down.
Keller learned how to read and write in Braille, thanks to Sullivan’s own experiences – clearly giving her a deeper understanding of her own student’s struggles.
Did you know?
Helen was obsessed with animals but had a real soft spot for dogs.
She owned a variety of dogs throughout her life.
The first Akita dog in the United States was sent to Helen from Japan in 1938.
Now that’s seriously “pawsome”!
Haha!
Here are three things you probably didn't know about the great Helen Keller!
1. Mastered it!
Helen Keller was the first deaf and blind person in history to earn a degree in College.
Yip, that’s right!
She graduated from Radcliffe College, with honours, in 1904.
2. Globetrotter!
She was a bit of a globetrotter!
Helen visited a whopping 39 countries around the globe during her lifetime.
From the UK to Syria and Japan.
During her travels, Keller would often meet super important people like prime ministers and presidents to try and get more help and money for educating blind people, deaf people, and people with disabilities.
How awesome is that?
3. Helen Keller was best friends with Mark Twain.
A friendship grew one day in 1895 when then-teenager Keller had lunch in New York with Twain.
She met Twain as a teenager.
Later, she wrote that he “treated me not as a freak, but as a handicapped woman seeking a way to circumvent extraordinary difficulties.”
Twain had a daughter the same age as Keller, and eventually, the two bonded over their political views and mutual admiration for each other.
She would recognise the author by his scent, as he often reeked of tobacco.
Twain even convinced the industrialist Henry Huttleston Rogers to help pay for Keller’s education.
Nice one!
What a life Helen Keller lived!
Do you perhaps know something we don’t know about Helen Keller?
Feel free to drop us a message on our social media pages or email us.
We’d love to hear from you!
Until next time UR-Eekahians, keep dreaming.
If Helen Keller can do it, so can you!
Helen the Hero
Helen Keller Day takes time out to celebrate the remarkable achievements and life of Helen Keller, a woman who overcame blindness and deafness and became a legend in the process.
Helen Keller was born June 27, 1880, in Tuscumbia, Alabama.
Sadly, things turned bad quickly.
At just nineteen months old, she suffered from a form of bacterial meningitis, which left her unable to see, hear, or speak.
The family were devastated and immediately sought the advice of their friend, Alexander Graham Bell (a famous scientist and inventor who happened to invent that thing we call the telephone).
Thanks, Bell!
We owe you one!
It was he who advised them to apply to the Perkins Institute for the Blind in Boston.
They followed Bell’s advice, and in 1887, Keller was taught by Anne Sullivan, a young teacher who had suffered vision impairment herself.
It was said Helen was unruly until she met Anne Sullivan!
Sullivan used “touch teaching” techniques, and with her experienced guidance, calmed the seemingly uncontrollable Helen down.
Keller learned how to read and write in Braille, thanks to Sullivan’s own experiences – clearly giving her a deeper understanding of her own student’s struggles.
Did you know?
Helen was obsessed with animals but had a real soft spot for dogs.
She owned a variety of dogs throughout her life.
The first Akita dog in the United States was sent to Helen from Japan in 1938.
Now that’s seriously “pawsome”!
Haha!
Here are three things you probably didn't know about the great Helen Keller!
1. Mastered it!
Helen Keller was the first deaf and blind person in history to earn a degree in College.
Yip, that’s right!
She graduated from Radcliffe College, with honours, in 1904.
2. Globetrotter!
She was a bit of a globetrotter!
Helen visited a whopping 39 countries around the globe during her lifetime.
From the UK to Syria and Japan.
During her travels, Keller would often meet super important people like prime ministers and presidents to try and get more help and money for educating blind people, deaf people, and people with disabilities.
How awesome is that?
3. Helen Keller was best friends with Mark Twain.
A friendship grew one day in 1895 when then-teenager Keller had lunch in New York with Twain.
She met Twain as a teenager.
Later, she wrote that he “treated me not as a freak, but as a handicapped woman seeking a way to circumvent extraordinary difficulties.”
Twain had a daughter the same age as Keller, and eventually, the two bonded over their political views and mutual admiration for each other.
She would recognise the author by his scent, as he often reeked of tobacco.
Twain even convinced the industrialist Henry Huttleston Rogers to help pay for Keller’s education.
Nice one!
What a life Helen Keller lived!
Do you perhaps know something we don’t know about Helen Keller?
Feel free to drop us a message on our social media pages or email us.
We’d love to hear from you!
Until next time UR-Eekahians, keep dreaming.
If Helen Keller can do it, so can you!
