Helen Keller: A True Inspiration

June 27th is an honorable day because it is a celebration of the life and achievements of Helen Keller. Born on June 27, 1880, in Tuscumbia, Alabama, the world was introduced to the future major 20th-century humanitarian, educator, and writer. However, at approximately 19 months (about 1 and a half years), it was suspected that Helen Keller contracted Scarlet Fever; thus, contributing to her deafness and blindness (Britannica, 2024). After being examined by Alexander Graham Bell at the age of 6, he sent Anne Sullivan – a 20-year-old teacher – from the Perkins Institution for the Blind in Boston, Massachusetts to teach Helen Keller. 

Within months Keller had learned to feel objects and associate them with words spelled out by finger signals on her palm, to read sentences by feeling raised words on cardboard,             and to make her own sentences by arranging words in a frame (Britannica, 2024, para. 3).

Meanwhile, between 1888-1890, Helen Keller spent her winters at the Perkins Institution for the Blind learning braille. However, her resilience and ambition helped her learn to lip-read by placing her finger to the mouth and throat of the speaker as well as learning the slow process of speaking – under the guidance of Sarah Fuller (Britannica, 2024).  With the tutoring of Sullivan and the assistance of Sarah Fuller, Helen Keller was admitted to Radcliffe College and graduated cum lade in 1904 (Michals, 2015). 

With such great accomplishments came additional motivation. Throughout the 20th century, Helen Keller became a renowned humanitarian, author, and educator. She advocated for the blind and for the Women’s Suffrage Movement. While she was active in the Women’s Suffrage Movement and co-founded the American Civil Liberties Union, Helen Keller wrote and published numerous books and articles. However, her contribution to humanitarian and educational purposes contributed to her being elected to the 1965 Women’s Hall of Fame at the New York World’s Fair (Tuttle, n.d.). 

Lifelong activist and academic, Helen Keller, was awarded three honorary doctorates from the prestigious universities of Harvard, Temple, and Glasglow (Michals, 2015). Each year, on June 27th, we recognize and celebrate the life of Helen Keller and her accomplishments continue to influence and encourage greatness and equality. 

By: Dr. Adam Palladino, Wellness Committee, Galen College of Nursing

References

Encyclopædia Britannica, inc. (2024, June 23). Helen Keller: American author and educator. Encyclopædia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Helen-Keller

Michals, D. (Ed.). (2015). Biography: Helen Keller. National Women’s History Museum. https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/helen-keller

Tuttle , D., & Tuttle , N. (n.d.). Helen Keller inducted 2002. Helen Keller. https://sites.aph.org/hall/inductees/keller/

June 27, 2024