Helen Keller

Sham S. Misri

“I shall succeed some day if I only keep trying,” wrote Helen Keller in her autobiography at the age of 22. True to her words, her diligence transformed her into one of the world’s most inspiring figures.

Helen Keller was born on June 27, 1880 in Alabama, United States. Keller's father was an officer in the Army during the Civil War. The family was not wealthy and earned income from their cotton plantation. Keller was born with her senses of sight and hearing, and started speaking when she was just 6 months old. She started walking at the age of 1.

In 1882, Keller fell ill. She suffered from "brain fever" that produced a high body temperature. Within a few days after the fever broke, Keller's mother noticed that her daughter didn't show any reaction when the dinner bell was rung, or when a hand was waved in front of her face. Keller had lost both her sight and hearing. She was just 18 months old. Illness had struck her blind, deaf and mute. She relied on visual gestures and signs to communicate with her family.

As Keller grew into childhood, she developed a limited method of communication with her companion, Martha Washington, the young daughter of the family cook. The two had created a type of sign language, and by the time Keller was 7, they had invented more than 60 signs to communicate with each other. But Keller had become very wild and unruly during this time. She would kick and scream when angry, and giggle uncontrollably when happy. She would annoy Martha and inflicted violent bad temper on her parents.

The turning point in her life came at the age of seven when she met her tutor Anne Sullivan. In March 1887, Anne Sullivan, the teacher went to Keller's home in Alabama to teach her. She began by teaching Helen finger spelling, starting with the word "doll," to help Keller understand the gift of a doll she had brought along. Other words would follow. At first, Keller was curious, then disobedient, refusing to cooperate with Sullivan's instruction. When Keller did cooperate, Sullivan could tell that she wasn't making the connection between the objects and the letters spelled out in her hand. Sullivan kept working at it, forcing Helen to go through the routine.

As Keller's frustration grew, the irritability increased. Finally, Sullivan demanded that she and Keller be isolated from the rest of the family for a time, so that Keller could concentrate only on Sullivan's instruction. They moved to a different cottage.

In a dramatic struggle, Sullivan taught Keller the word "water"; she helped her make the connection between the object and the letters by taking Keller out to the water pump, and placing Keller's hand under the ‘water’. While Sullivan poured cool water over Keller's hand, she spelled out the word ‘w-a-t-e-r’ on Helen's other hand. Keller then described the experience: “I knew then that ‘w-a-t-e-r’ meant the wonderful cool something that was flowing over my hand. That living word awakened my soul, gave it light, hope, joy, set it free.” She then pounded the ground, demanding to know its "letter name." Sullivan followed her, spelling out the word into her hand. Keller moved to other objects with Sullivan in tow. By nightfall, she had learned 30 words. The experience, stirred up her desire to acquire knowledge. Beginning in 1887, Keller's teacher, helped her make tremendous progress with her ability to communicate, and Keller went on to college, graduating in 1904. She was the first deaf, blind person to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree. She was an American author, political activist, and lecturer. During her lifetime, she received many honours in recognition of her accomplishments.

In 1896, she attended the Cambridge School for Young Ladies, a preparatory school for women. As her story became known to the general public, Keller began to meet famous and influential people. One of them was the writer Mark Twain, who was very impressed with her. They became friends. Twain introduced her to his friend Henry H. Rogers, a Standard Oil executive. Rogers was so impressed with Keller's talent, drive and determination that he agreed to pay for her to attend Radcliff College. There, she was accompanied by Sullivan, who sat by her side to interpret lectures and texts.

By this time, Keller had mastered several methods of communication, including touch-lip reading, Braille, speech, typing and finger-spelling. With the help of Sullivan, Keller wrote her first book, The Story of My Life. It covered her transformation from childhood to 21-year-old college student. Sullivan continued to be Keller's guide and mentor. Keller, then, progressed to become a famous writer and a role model for millions, was not easy.

After college, Keller set out to learn more about the world and how she could help improve the lives of others. News of her story spread beyond Massachusetts and New England. She became a well-known celebrity and lecturer by sharing her experiences with audiences. Throughout the first half of the 20th century, Keller tackled social and political issues, including women's suffrage, non violence and birth control. She testified before Congress, strongly advocating improving the welfare of blind people. In 1920, she helped found the American Civil Liberties Union.

When the American Federation for the Blind was established in 1921, 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.

In 1936, Keller's beloved teacher and devoted companion, Anne Sullivan, died. She had experienced health problems for several years and, in 1932, lost her eyesight completely. In 1946, Keller was appointed counsellor of international relations for the American Foundation of Overseas Blind. Between 1946 and 1957, she travelled to 35 countries on five continents. In 1955, at age 75, Keller boarded a ship on the longest and most exhausting trip of her life: a 40,000-mile, five-month trek across Asia. Through her many speeches and appearances, she brought inspiration and encouragement to millions of people.

Keller suffered a series of strokes in 1961, and spent the remaining years of her life at her home in Connecticut. During her lifetime, she received many honours in recognition of her accomplishments, including the Theodore Roosevelt Distinguished Service Medal in 1936, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1964. She also received honorary doctoral degrees from Temple University and Harvard University and from the universities of Glasgow, Scotland; Berlin, Germany; Delhi, India; and Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa. Additionally, she was named an Honorary Fellow of the Educational Institute of Scotland.

Keller died in her sleep on June 1, 1968, just a few weeks before her 88th birthday. During her remarkable life, Keller stood as a powerful example of how determination, hard work, and imagination can allow an individual to triumph over adversity.

"Keep your face to the sunshine and you cannot see the shadow."

– Helen Keller