Helen Adams Keller was born in Tuscumbia, Alabama, in 1880.

Her father owned a cotton plantation, and he was an officer in the

Confederate Army during the Civil War. She started speaking when she was six months old, and she was able to communicate with her
parents. When she was 19 months old, a very high fever left Helen blind and deaf. When she was an adult, both her eyes were replaced with
glass eyes for medical and cosmetic reasons.
In 1904, Helen graduated with honors from Radcliffe College. Anne interpreted lessons and spelled out textbooks for her. Helen learned to
read French, German, Greek, and Latin in Braille. Because of her accomplishments, Helen became famous. Alexander Graham Bell gave a
picture of Helen and one of her letters to a newspaper. People became eager to meet Helen.
Helen was an advocate for women and people with disabilities. She was in favor of womens right to vote, and trade unions; she was against
war, child labor and capital punishment. Helen wrote 12 books including her autobiography, The Story of My Life. She traveled to over 40
countries to lecture on the problems of the blind and the need to prevent the causes of blindness. When she visited Akita Prefecture in
Japan, she mentioned that she would like to have an Akita dog. One was presented to her as a gift from the Japanese government. This is
how the Akita breed became known to people in the United States. In 1920, she helped found the American Civil Liberties Union. She was
presented with the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1964 and elected to the Womens Hall of Fame in 1965.
Helen devoted her life to helping others. She was a symbol of courage in the face of overwhelming odds. Helen died June 1, 1968.
American educator Helen Keller overcame the adversity of being blind and deaf to
become one of the 20th century's leading humanitarians,
Helen Adams Keller was born on June 27, 1880 in Tuscumbia, Alabama. In 1882, she fell ill and was struck blind,
deaf and mute. Beginning in 1887, Keller's teacher, Anne Sullivan, helped her make tremendous progress with her
ability to communicate, and Keller went on to college, graduating in 1904. In 1920, Keller helped found the ACLU.
During her lifetime, she received many honors in recognition of her accomplishments.