Helen Keller

Helen Keller was an American author, educator, disability rights advocate, and political activist.

Helen Keller was an American author, educator, disability rights advocate, and political activist who became deaf and blind in early childhood. She became a prominent public speaker and writer, and her life and work influenced disability advocacy, women’s rights, and civil liberties.

Early life and disability

Helen Keller was born in 1880 in Tuscumbia, Alabama. At 19 months old, she became deaf and blind after an illness, which left her unable to communicate in the usual ways.

Education and communication

With the help of teacher Anne Sullivan, Keller learned to understand language through touch, using tactile methods such as manual spelling and braille. She later attended Radcliffe College, graduating in 1904 as the first deafblind person to earn a college degree.

Writing and activism

Keller became a prolific author and lecturer, writing works including her autobiography, The Story of My Life. She advocated for disability rights, women’s suffrage, pacifism, labor rights, and civil liberties, and co-founded the American Civil Liberties Union.

Legacy

Keller became one of the best-known disability rights figures of the 20th century. Her life helped change public perceptions of deafblindness and expanded awareness of accessibility and equality.