Helen Keller
Helen was blind and deaf American author and activist who lived from June 27 1880 to June 1 1968. Keller lost her sight and hearing as a 19 month old and despite her disabilities obtained a bachelor's degree and became an activist for disability rights (The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2019). She learnt to associate objects with words and eventually was able to learn how to speak and lip read by placing her hands on the lips and throat of the speaker (The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2019). Despite a disability that some might consider impossible to succeed with, Keller wrote 6 books and conducted lectures on behalf of the American Foundation for the blind (The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2019). She established a 2 million endowment fund for the American Foundation for the blind as well and she co-founded the American Civil Liberties (The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2019). Keller played a big role in having the blind from the disabled asylums and organized commissions for the blind in 30 states by the year of 1937 (The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2019).
I don’t feel as though an explanation of why I find Helen Keller an inspiration would do her enough justice. However, I view Helen Keller as an inspiration because despite her very complex disabilities she didn’t let anything stop her. It would have been very easy for her to determine that learning to communicate would be too difficult and giving up but instead of this she turned her disability into her strength and achieved more than most abled bodied individuals. Despite her blind and deafness she advocated for others like herself, wrote books that inspired other individuals with disabilities and amazed others without and began paving the way for disabled Americans. All whilst under the thumb of the patriarchy. To me Helen Keller is, was and will always be one of the most incredible and influential humans to walk this earth. As her mentor and teacher Alexander Bell said of Keller “I feel that in this child I have seen more of the Divine than has been manifest in anyone I ever met before.” (Helen Keller Biography).
Citations
Helen Keller Biography: . Biography Online. https://www.biographyonline.net/women/helen-keller.html.
The Editors of Encyclopedia Britannica. (2019, December 6). Helen Keller. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Helen-Keller.
