*Hellen Keller*

Introduce

Helen Keller was known for being an author, But that wasn't all, she was deaf AND blind and she did more things I do in a day and i'm not blind or deaf. She did so much to help and never gave up, this is the "story" of how she helped the world.

Hellen Keller

"The only thing worse than being blind is having sight but no vision, walking with a friend in the dark is better than walking alone in the light. What we have once enjoyed we can never lose."

Who Was Helen Keller?

Helen Keller was an American teacher/educator, supporter for the blind and deaf and associate/co- founder of the ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union). With a disability at the age of 19 months being blind and deaf. In 1887, Helen's teacher, Anne Sullivan (her teacher who became her *BFF*), helped her create a big progress with her ability to communicate with hoomans (humans) and later in life Helen went to college, graduating in 1904. During the time she was alive , she received many honors in remembrance of her achievements. Beside all that she clearly did a lot, and now i feel useless because she lived for people and she had disabilities, I live for 2 reasons!

1. I was born
&
2. I haven't die yet

"Life is a succession of lessons which must be lived to be understood."

Helen Keller

Her Life and Family
Helen Keller was born on June 27, 1880, in Tuscumbia, Alabama. Helen was one of the first of 2 child's (daughter's) born to Arthur H. Helen Keller and Katherine Adams Keller were the names of the two. Helen's father had served as an officer in the Confederate Army during the Civil War, She had two older stepbrothers.
The family was not really rich and earned money from their cotton plantation(Plant and Harvest). Later, Arthur (the father) became the editor of a weekly local newspaper, the North Alabamian.
Helen was born with the ability to see and hear, and started talking/speaking when she was just 6 months old. She started walking at the age of 1 (and i did not) but later she became blind and deaf.

Some Info :)

Helen's Mom's name was Kate Adam Keller and worked hard who fought to find help for her deaf and blind child (Helen) when the little girl was a baby/young kid.

Helen Keller's full name is Helen Adams Keller.

Being Blind and Deaf
Helen Keller became blind and deaf at 19 months old. In 1882, she had gotten a small illness called "brain fever" by the family doctor that made a high body temperature. The true colors (what the illness actually was) of the illness remains a mystery today, though some people smarter than me (experts) believe it might have been scarlet fever or meningitis.
In a couple days later after the fever broke, Kate Adam Keller(Helens mother) noticed that her daughter (helen) didn't show any interest or emotion when the bell for dinner was rung(which i would have ran to in 2 minutes), or when a hand was waved in front of her face.
As Helen grew older, she developed a small amount of communication with her friend/companion, Martha Washington, the smoll (small) daughter of the family cook. Those 2 had made there own type of sign language. When Helen Keller was 7, they both had already invented more than 60 signs to communicate with each other.
During this time, Hellen had also become very wild and "unruly". She would kick and scream when she was angry, and giggle uncontrollably when happy(which probably seemed creepy). She tormented Martha and had huge annoying raging tantrums to her parents. Many family family members felt that she should had been institutionalized.

part 1

Helen Keller's Teacher,
Well... Did you know Helen Keller's teacher actually was Anne Sullivan! Helen had worked with her teacher Anne Sullivan for 49 years, from 1887 until her *Anne's* death in 1936. In 1932, Anne had began to experience health problems and lost her ability to see completely. A young woman named Polly Thomson, who had began working as a secretary for Helen and Anne in 1914, became Helen Keller's constant companion/helper upon/after Anne Sullivan's death. Looking for answers and inspiration, Kate (Helen's mother) came across a travelogue (a book/lecture) by Charles Dickens, American Notes, in 1886. She (Kate) read the book section about a successful education of another deaf and blind child, Laura Bridgman, and soon made Helen and her father go to Baltimore, Maryland to see specialist Dr. J. Julian Chisolm.
After examining Helen, Dr. Chisolm recommended that she see Alexander Graham Bell, the inventor of the telephone, who was working with deaf beans (kids) at the time. Alex (Alexander Bell) met with Helen and her parents, and suggested that they travel to the "Perkins Institute for the Blind" in Boston, Massachusetts.

Continue of Helen Keller's Teacher. part 2

The Keller family(Helen Keller's Family) then met with the school's director, Michael Anaganos. He suggested that Hellen could work with one of the institute's most recent graduats, Anne Sullivan.
On March 3, 1887, Anne went to Helen's home in Alabama and immediately went to work. She began by teaching 6 year old Helen to finger spell, starting with the word "doll," to help Helen understand the doll that she (Helen) had brought with her. She then learned more words.
At first, Helen was curious (like most humans are) then started to stop to cooperate with Anne's instruction(s). When Helen did cooperate, Anne could tell that she wasn't making/having the connection between the objects and the letters spelled out in her hand, but/so Anne continued to keep working at it, forcing Helen to go through the regimen (a system of government.)
As Helen's frustration grew, her tantrums increased. Finally, Anne demanded that she and Helen be isolated (kept away) from the rest of the family for a bit of time, so that Helen could concentrate only on her (Anne's) instruction. So they then moved to a cottage on the plantation.

Helen Kellers Teacher Part 3

-moved to a cottage on the plantation.
With a bit of a big struggle, Anne taught Helen the word "water"; she helped her make the connection between the object and the letters by taking Keller out to a water pump, and placing Helen's hand under the spout. While she (anne) moved the lever to flush cool/warm cold water over Keller's hand, she spelled out the word w-a-t-e-r on her (Helen's) other hand. Helen then understood and repeated the word in Anne's hand. She then pound the ground, demanding to know its "letter name." Anne followed her, spelling out the word into her hand. Helen moved to other objects with Anne. By nightfall, she had learned 30 words! Thats a lot of words.
In 1905, Anne married John Macy, an instructor at Harvard University, a social critic and a prominent socialist. After the marriage, Anne Sullivan continued to be Helen Keller's guide and mentor. When Helen went to live with the Macys, they both initially gave Helen their undivided attention. Gradually, however, Anne and John became distant to each other, as Anne's devotion to Helen continued unabated. After several years, the couple separated,But did not get divorced.

School/Education
In 1890, Helen Keller had began speech classes at the Horace Mann School for the Deaf in Boston. She would try for 25 years to learn to speak so that others could understand her.
From 1894 to 1896 Helen attended the Wright-Humason School for the Deaf in New York City. There, she worked on improving her communication skills and studied regular boring subjects that are good for us (still pretty boring but not all). Around a bit of time, Helen Keller became determined to attend college. In 1896, she attended the Cambridge School for Young Ladies, a preparatory school for women. When her story became known to the general public, Helen Keller began to meet famous and influential people. One of them was the writer Mark Twain, who was very impressed. They then became friends. Mark introduced her to his friend Henry H. Rogers, a Standard Oil executive. Henry was so impressed with Helens talent, so with drive and determination that he then agreed to pay for her to attend Radcliffe College. There, she was accompanied by Anne Sullivan, who sat by her side to interpret lectures and texts. By this time, Helen Keller had mastered/ learned perfectly well several methods of communication, including touch-lip reading, Braille, speech, typing and finger-spelling. Helen Keller then graduated, cum laude, from Radcliffe College in 1904, at the age of 24.

Social Activism
Throughout the first half of the 20th century, Helen Keller had tackled social and political issues, including women's suffrage, pacifism, birth control and socialism.After college, Helen went to seek more things to learn about the world and how she could help improve the lives of others. News of her story spread beyond Massachusetts and New England. Helen Keller became a well-known celebrity and lecturer by sharing her experiences with audiences, and working for others living with disabilities even when she had some of her own. She testified before Congress, strongly advocating to improve the welfare of blind people.In 1915, along with renowned city planner George Kessler, she co-founded "Helen Keller International" to combat the causes and consequences of blindness and malnutrition. In 1920, she helped found the American Civil Liberties Union(ACLU).When-

-the American Federation for the Blind was established in 1921, Helen Keller had an effective national outlet for her efforts. She became a member in 1924, and participated in many campaigns to raise awareness, money and support for the blind.

too long ;/

part 1