As a child I was always fascinated by Helen Keller and I can’t wait to let Charlie and David know June 27th is Helen Keller Day #HelenKellerDay. If your #Homeschooling your children like I did Charlie this learning about Helen Keller would be a wonderful lesson plan to add to your studies today.
Helen Keller Day is on June 27th as you can imagine Helen Keller Day celebrates the life and achievements of Helen Keller, a woman who overcame blindness and deafness and became famous in the process. Anne Sullivan was Keller’s teacher and she received acclaim in her own right. When Sullivan was just five years of age, she suffered from Trachoma, an eye disease that impaired her vision. Helen Keller had to learn the manual alphabet and faced adversity herself because of it. Helen Keller was called a miracle worker for helping teach her pupil how to read and write when no one thought she would learn.
Helen Keller was born June 27th, 1880, in Tuscumbia, Alabama, but things turned bad quickly. At nineteen months, Helen Keller suffered from a form of Bacterial Meningitis, which left her unable to see, hear, or speak. The family sought the advice of Alexander Graham Bell, a famous Scientist and inventor known for inventing the first telephone, who advised them to apply to the Perkins Institute for the Blind in Boston.
They followed Alexander Graham Bell’s advice and in 1887, Keller was taught by Anne Sullivan, a young teacher who had suffered vision impairment herself. Sullivan used “touch teaching” techniques and her skilled guidance calmed the seemingly uncontrollable Keller. Keller learned how to read and write in Braille thanks to Sullivan’s own experiences that gave her a deeper understanding of her student’s struggles. Keller also used hand signals of the deaf-mute, which she understood by touch.
Helen Keller would go on to become an author. In 1902, her book, “The Story of my Life” was published and loved by many who took Helen Keller’s story to heart. Helen Keller graduated from Radcliffe College and graduated with honors in 1904, making her the first blind and deaf woman to graduate from college.
Thanks to Sullivan’s assistance Helen Keller became a public speaker, requiring the assistance of an interpreter to make herself understood. People were inspired by her resounding spirit to surpass the expectations placed on her because of her disabilities, and it led to advances in public services of the handicapped.
Helen Keller was a fundraiser for the American Foundation for the Blind and an advocate for racial and sexual equality. Sullivan and Keller became a lifelong duo and from 1920 to 1924, they formed a vaudeville act to entertain, raise money, and educate the public. On June 1, 1968, Hellen Keller died in Easton, Connecticut, at age 87, but Helen Keller legacy of Civil Service and a resilient spirit is everlasting. The presidential proclamation of Helen Keller Day was made in 2006, as well as many notable international organizations that help the blind and deaf.
LET’S CELEBRATE HELEN KELLER DAY
- Helen Keller’s life is a fascinating example of strength and fortitude and if you have the opportunity you should spend the day reading “The Story of My Life” and learn how Helen Keller did the impossible in her own words. It’s impossible not to be inspired.
- Sometimes a good way to understand how hard it is for others is by stepping into someone else’s shoes. There are free online websites with materials and resources that you can use to practice reading Braille, which will help you come to better understand the determination it takes to do it.
INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT HELEN KELLER DAY
- It’s believed now that Scarlet Fever was the illness that caused Helen Keller’s disabilities.
- Helen Keller received secondary educational opportunities at Horace Mann School for the Deaf in Boston, and Wright-Humanson School for the Deaf in Manhattan.
- In 1936, Keller received the Theodore Roosevelt Distinguished Service Medal.
- Helen Keller was nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize in 1953.
- Helen Keller met Famous author Mark Twain at fourteen and they remained friends until he died 16 years later.
WHY HELEN KELLER DAY IS IMPORTANT
- Helen Keller Day reminds us that anything is possible if we work hard for it. Helen Keller had everything going against her, and many doubted that someone like her could rise to the level that she did. Instead, Helen Keller exceeded those expectations and inspired the world.
- Helen Keller Day is a call to action for those who face blindness and deafness today. They have so much potential and with fundraising efforts and strong numbers for petitions, we can help bring about change that will better improve their lives.
- Helen Keller’s determination has made the world better. People with disabilities are often forgotten about, but Helen Keller was thrust into the spotlight. Helen Keller moved people with her story and made great changes for those who faced disabilities with a recognizable story that improved the public’s understanding of blindness and deafness.
Thank you,
Glenda, Charlie and David Cates
