Profile of the Day: Helen Keller

Helen Keller

Today we remember author, activist, and lecturer Helen Keller, who was born on June 27, 1880 in Tuscumbia, Alabama.

Helen Adams Keller spent her childhood living at her family’s homestead, Ivy Green, which was built by her grandfather in 1820. Born physically normal, Keller did not lose her sight or hearing until she was 19 months old due to an illness. Although her health recovered, the illness left her deaf and blind for the rest of her life. Unable to see, hear or speak, Helen had very limited means of communication. At the advice of Alexander Graham Bell, Keller’s parents contacted the Perkins Institute for the Blind. They hired Anne Sullivan, a former student of the Institute, to become Helen’s instructor.

Through Sullivan’s dedicated instruction, Keller was able to learn to communicate with the world around her. She would go on to become the first deaf-blind person to a bachelor’s degree from Radcliffe College and become one of the world’s greatest humanitarians. To this day, her remarkable story continues to remain an inspiration to people all around the world.

Helen Keller is connected to over 120 million people in Geni’s World Family Tree. Explore her family tree and share how you’re related!
 

View Helen Keller’s Geni Profile

Image: Library of Congress