Early Years
On June 27, 1880, Helen Adams Keller was born in Tuscumbia, Alabama.
Kate Adams Keller and Colonel
Arthur
Keller
were her parents.Helen was diagnosed with
an unknown illness at the age of 19 months, likely scarlet
fever
or
rubella, which left her deaf and blind.
Major Accomplishments
Being the first deaf and blind person to receive a bachelor's degree was one of her greatest
accomplishments.
Helen Keller won numerous honors, including several honorary university degrees, the Lions
Humanitarian Award,
the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the French Legion of Honor and election to the
Women's Hall
of Fame. She
also met every President of the United States, from Calvin Coolidge to John F. Kennedy
Contributions to Society
She advocated for the blind and for women's suffrage and co-founded the American Civil Liberties Union.
She
used
her education and influence to help improve the lives of others. She published several
books and essays
about her
own life and views and spent much of her time lecturing and lobbying for
important social issues including
women's
suffrage and assistance for people who were blind and deafblind.
Quick Facts
- Birth City: Tuscumbia
- Name: Helen Adams Keller
- Birth date: June 27, 1880
- Best Known For: American educator Helen Keller
overcame the adversity of being blind and
deaf to become one of the 20th century's leading
humanitarians, as well as co-founder of the ACLU.
- Death date: June 1, 1968
- Death State: Connecticut