Biography of Hellen Keller

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Making an Impact
In the world we live in today, people tend to take the simple things in life, such as sight and sound, for granted. Helen Keller (1880-1968) was born physically normal in Tuscumbia, Alabama, but lost her sight and hearing at the age of nineteen months to an illness now believed to have been scarlet fever (History.com). Five years later, Keller’s parents applied for her to attend the Perkins Institute for the Blind in Boston, where Anne Mansfield Sullivan was later hired to be her teacher. When asked about Sullivan, Keller added "The most important day I remember in all my life is the one on which my teacher, Anne Mansfield Sullivan, came to me." Keller learned from Sullivan to read and write in braille and to use the hand signals of the deaf-mute, which she could understand only by touch (History.com). Helen Keller utilizes her disabilities and ambition to prove that an impact can be made on the world, even if there are setbacks to struggle through.
After graduating from Perkins Institute for the Blind, Keller hoped to go to college. After being told multiple times that it would be impossible for her to go to college considering her disabilities, Keller was determined to be the first deaf-blind person to graduate from with a college degree. Keller dreamed of going to Harvard, but it was the 1890s, and Harvard did not accept women. She then focused on her second choice, Radcliffe College (America’s Library). In the fall of 1900, Keller entered Radcliffe. She lived in one of the dormitories, along with Sullivan and many other girls. The idea of being “just like the other girls” was one thing that pleased Keller most. She would later find out that she would in fact be different and would have to work harder than ...

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...ying gratefully humble throughout her entire life. Keller is an inspiration to all people, not just those with disabilities. She proves that anything can be accomplished through hard work, dedication, and faith.

Works Cited

"Going to Radcliffe College." Going to Radcliffe College. America's Library, n.d. Web. 8 Jan. 2014.
"Helen Keller." History.com. A&E Television Networks, n.d. Web. 8 Jan. 2014.
"The Incredible Dog - Helen Keller's Beloved Akitas." The Incredible Dog - Helen Keller's Beloved
Akitas. N.p., n.d. Web. 8 Jan. 2014.
Jay, Michelle. "Helen Keller." Start ASL. N.p., n.d. Web. 8 Jan. 2014.
McGinnity, B.L., Seymour-Ford, J. and Andries, K.J. (2004) Helen Keller. Perkins History Museum,
Perkins School for the Blind, Watertown, MA. Perkins. N.p., n.d. Web. 8 Jan. 2014.
"National Women's History Museum." Education & Resources. N.p., n.d. Web. 8 Jan. 2014.

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