Helen Keller Reads The Lips Of President Dwight D Eisenhower
On March 3rd 1887, Anne Sullivan began teaching six-year-old Helen Keller, who had lost her sight and hearing after a severe illness at the age of 19 months. Under Sullivan’s tutelage, including her pioneering “touch teaching” techniques, the previously uncontrollable Keller flourished, eventually graduating from college and becoming an international lecturer and activist. Sullivan, later dubbed “the miracle worker,” remained Keller’s interpreter and constant companion until the older woman’s death in 1936.
Sullivan, born in Massachusetts in 1866, had firsthand experience with being handicapped: As a child, an infection impaired her vision. She then attended the Perkins Institution for the Blind where she learned the manual alphabet in order to communicate with a classmate who was deaf and blind. Eventually, Sullivan had several operations that improved her weakened eyesight.
Helen Adams Keller was born on June 27, 1880, to Arthur Keller, a former Confederate army officer and newspaper publisher, and his wife Kate, of Tuscumbia, Alabama. As a baby, a brief illness, possibly scarlet fever, left Helen unable to see, hear or speak. She was considered a bright but spoiled and strong-willed child. Her parents eventually sought the advice of Alexander Graham Bell, the inventor of the telephone and an authority on the deaf. He suggested the Kellers contact the Perkins Institution, which in turn recommended Anne Sullivan as a teacher.
Sullivan, age 20, arrived at Ivy Green, the Keller family estate, in 1887 and began working to socialise her wild, stubborn student and teach her by spelling out words in Keller’s hand. Initially, the finger spelling meant nothing to Keller. However, a breakthrough occurred one day when Sullivan held one of Keller’s hands under water from a pump and spelled out “w-a-t-e-r” in Keller’s palm. Keller went on to learn how to read, write and speak. With Sullivan’s assistance, Keller attended Radcliffe College and graduated with honours in 1904.
Helen Keller became a public speaker and author; her first book, “The Story of My Life” was published in 1902. She was also a fundraiser for the American Foundation for the Blind and an advocate for racial and sexual equality, as well as socialism. From 1920 to 1924, Sullivan and Keller even formed a vaudeville act to educate the public and earn money. Helen Keller died on June 1, 1968, at her home in Westport, Connecticut, at age 87, leaving her mark on the world by helping to alter perceptions about the disabled.
Craig Hill Media and Consulting 
Great overview. Helen Keller was one of my childhood idols.
Posted by sujinyan | March 3, 2012, 00:12Very inspirational.
Posted by Craig Hill | March 3, 2012, 00:15Truly. Laura Bridgman was another. 🙂
Posted by sujinyan | March 3, 2012, 22:56Do you have any links to good Laura Bridgeman post or articles?
Posted by Craig Hill | March 4, 2012, 00:11Hellen Keller has been one of my biggest inspirations, but I never really gave the credit that Sullivan deserves. She was, after all, the one that helped her to succeed.
Posted by Carlos | March 3, 2012, 00:29Anne Sullivan had an incredible skill to be able to reach Helen Keller like that.
Posted by Craig Hill | March 3, 2012, 00:35To tell the truth I’ve always been more interested in Sullivan then Keller. Sullivan certainly had her work cut out for her. Really enjoyed the post.
Posted by J. G. Burdette | March 3, 2012, 01:12As a teacher, I can only marvel at the results they achieved together.
Posted by Craig Hill | March 3, 2012, 07:50A very inspiring piece. *Thank you.*
Posted by Brook | March 3, 2012, 05:07It’s more a piece about awe-inspiring people. 🙂
Posted by Craig Hill | March 3, 2012, 07:51Two inspirational people who lived at the wrong time. Great post, Craig!
Posted by Marc Phillippe Babineau | March 3, 2012, 06:54Perhaps they helped change the times they lived in.
Posted by Craig Hill | March 3, 2012, 07:52Reblogged this on jane222570 and commented:
nice one
Posted by ecigaretteexposed | March 3, 2012, 16:26Great post. Two people ahead of their time. Bravo!
Posted by Jody Thompson | March 3, 2012, 16:53Glad you liked it 🙂
Posted by Craig Hill | March 3, 2012, 17:00More about Helen Keller is at
http://dearkitty1.wordpress.com/2009/10/08/helen-keller-gets-statue-her-politics-ignored/
and
http://dearkitty1.wordpress.com/2008/03/07/helen-keller-photo-rediscovered-after-120-years-2/
Many United States ‘mainstream’ views on Keller omit her ‘inconvenient’ criticism of capitalism, of oppression of women, etc.
Posted by petrel41 | March 3, 2012, 17:57Thanks for that. I like the links 🙂
Posted by Craig Hill | March 3, 2012, 18:10You are very welcome!
Posted by petrel41 | March 3, 2012, 18:25Incidentally, I just recently discovered that Helen Keller was an ardent skeptic of William Shakespeare’s authorship of his plays, favoring instead the candidacy of Edward de Vere. Apparently, she and Mark Twain had similar views and discussed the topic often. Learned all this from James Shapiro’s “Who Wrote Shakespeare?”, which I reviewed recently on my own website, in case you are interested:
http://superfluous-man.com/2012/03/01/who-wrote-shakespeare/
Posted by superfluousblogger | March 3, 2012, 19:02There has been a lot of speculation on who wrote Shakespeare. I had students all over China telling me that they are Chinese stories, and that Shakespeare copied them 🙂
Posted by Craig Hill | March 3, 2012, 23:53Where did Helen Keller write on skepticism of William Shakespeare’s authorship? If so, that would be a minus for Ms Keller, and against her views on most subjects; as snobism is the main driving force against the “Shakespeare did not write Shakespeare” theories.
See
http://www.wsws.org/articles/2011/dec2011/bell-d13.shtml
Posted by petrel41 | March 4, 2012, 00:07Uplifting stuff. I only know about Helen Keller and Ann Sullivan from the 1962 film, but I remember it vividly. What inspirational women they both were – thanks for the reminder. Thanks for the follow, too 🙂
Posted by norfolknovelist | March 3, 2012, 21:06Glad you liked the post, and glad to be following you as well.
Posted by Craig Hill | March 4, 2012, 00:09As the father of a child who was born and diagnosed as being ‘profoundly deaf’ in both ears, I am happy an honored to report that today she is two years away from receiving her Masters degree at the University of Connecticut. I took her to see the play on Helen Keller & Anne Sullivan at the theater in the round in Manhattan several years ago and it still remains her favorite.
Thanks for sharing…
Posted by fantasyfurnace | March 4, 2012, 00:39Your daughter has made an outstanding achievement. Congratulations to her, and the family that supported her.
Posted by Craig Hill | March 4, 2012, 00:50Thanks!
She’s never let her disability stop her from achieving her goals. Very proud of her…
Posted by fantasyfurnace | March 4, 2012, 05:39This is a definition of inspiration and courage. Great article!
Posted by mulrickillion | March 7, 2012, 03:20Thanks for reminding me of this beautiful story.
Posted by Laal | March 8, 2012, 17:26