“When one door of happiness closes, another opens, but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one that has been opened for us”.- Helen Keller
Helen Keller was born in Tuscumbia, Alabama on June 27, 1880. When she was nineteen months old, her life changed dramatically. She fell ill suddenly and the doctors did not expect her to live. Miraculously, the fever subsided but Helen’s illness had taken away her sight and hearing.
Helen grew up to be a very difficult child, terrorizing her family with her bad behaviors and temper tantrums. Looking after her has became too much of a challenge for them.
However, the situation changed on 3 March 1887. It was the day when Annie Adams Sullivan, a 21 year-old graduate, from the Perkins School for the Blind, was engaged to become her governess and teacher.
Annie taught Helen how to finger spell through repeated use of the manual alphabet with finger movements. But Helen was unable to understand what her teacher was trying to tell her. She also did not understand what the finger movements meant. Unable to express herself, Helen continued with her temper tantrums and screaming.
The epiphany came for Helen Keller on 5 April 1887. On this fine summer day, Annie brought Helen to a water pump. As the cold water splashed over Helen’s hand, Annie repeatedly spelt out the word “water’’ onto her hand.
Something about the coolness in the water may have brought out the meaning of the finger movements within Helen as she suddenly realized what her teacher has been trying to reach out to her.
In 1900, Helen started attending classes at Radcliffe College and Annie followed along. She industriously spelt lectures and notes onto her pupil's hand. When Helen completed her course four years later, she became the first deaf and blind person to graduate from a college.
At the same time, Helen has begun her writing career. Famous books included her autobiography, “The Story of My Life” and others such as “The World I Live In” and “Out of the Dark”.
After graduation, Helen and Anne traveled the world, giving inspirational lectures and sharing her experiences and beliefs to enthralled crowds. She was best remembered as an advocate for people with disabilities and she campaigned tirelessly, raising money to alleviate the living and working conditions of those who are blind and deaf-blind.
Besides writing many books and articles on blindness, deafness and socialism, Helen also appeared before state legislatures and international forums. Her effort brought the world's focus on problems about the blind as well as creating awareness on the need for preventive measures.
Despite the broad range of her interests, she founded Helen Keller International in 1915. It is a non-profitable organization, supporting and doing research on prevention of blindness. At the same time, Helen also gave her support to the programs conducted by Helen Keller Services for the Blind as well as Helen Keller National Center for the Deaf-Blind Youths and Adults.
In 1964, Helen was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian award. A year later she was elected to the Women’s Hall of Fame.
Helen Keller continued tirelessly with the good work until her death on 1 June 1968. She has been described as “the woman who showed the world that there are no boundaries to courage and faith; and her spirit will endure as long as man can read and stories can be told of”.
Helen has proven that people with disabilities or inconveniences are not born to die and they not only can be independent but at the same time, have similar abilities to give endless contributions towards society as normal human beings.
Are you sometimes plagued with countless problems and difficulties that make you feel like it is the end of the world?
When facing such challenges, image yourself as Helen Keller, shut out in a black hole where you are not able to reach out to anyone.
Be touched by Helen’s never-ending spirit and courage. Never give up on your beliefs and preserve till the end.
If Helen is able to get out of her black hole and get ‘reborn’ again, so can you.
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