Helen Keller was an important and best-selling author, political activist, and lecturer on American history. Helen was born a healthy child, but at the age of two she contracted a disease called "brain fever" which left her deaf and blind. As a result, Helen became unruly, violent and constantly threw tantrums. It was thought to be impossible to teach. Refusing to place her in an institution, her parents hired a teacher specializing in deaf and blind children. Helen's teacher, Anne Sullivan, not only taught her and gave her the ability to communicate, but she transformed her life. Helen Keller was able to attend college and later became an advocate for the blind. She never let her disabilities get in the way of her success. His story to date is so impactful that his life was depicted in the Broadway play “The Miracle Worker.” Helen Keller is an important figure in history because of her impactful story, her ability to overcome her disabilities, and her life's work. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an Original Essay The life story of Helen Keller is extremely powerful and unique. She overcame her disabilities and never let the challenges those disabilities brought prevent her from achieving her goals and achievements. Helen Keller reached developmental milestones very early in her early childhood. In 1882, Keller contracted an illness that caused a very high fever. A few days later, the illness changed her life, leaving her deaf and blind. Helen's mother was the first to notice something was wrong with her. Helen's personality had changed and she just seemed disconnected. “A few days after the fever subsided, Keller's mother noticed that her daughter showed no reaction when…. when a hand was waved in front of his face.” Her mother's concerns were confirmed by their family doctor who diagnosed Helen as deaf and blind. Not only was Helen unable to recognize others, but her behavior became wild and unruly. Her mother was starting to have trouble controlling her and needed help. Doctors and family members suggested that Helen's parents place her in an institution. Helen began to have uncontrollable tantrums. Her parents disagreed and began looking for someone to educate their daughter. As Helen's tantrums seemed to get worse, she also began to develop an ability to communicate with the family cook's young daughter. The two men developed a type of sign language that allowed them to communicate with each other. As a result, his behavior improved. She no longer had the frustration of not being able to communicate and express her feelings. This also proved that Helen was capable of learning. Her parents began actively searching for a teacher who could work with deaf and blind children. They were desperate for someone who could reach into their daughter's mind and help her communicate. After being examined by Alexander Graham Bell, Helen was referred to a remarkable young teacher at the Perkins Institution for the Blind in Boston named Anne Sullivan. She specialized in the education of children with these disabilities. In just a few months, Sullivan helped Helen associate objects by touch with words spelled by finger signals on the palm of her hand. She also taught him to read sentences by feeling words in relief on a block of cardboard. With Sullivan's help, she was able to learn toread and write. This laid the foundation that allowed Helen to attend college and become a successful author and educator. Helen's education represents an extraordinary achievement in the education of deafblind people. She attended several schools for the disabled to learn how to read Braille, speak, and lip read by placing her fingers on the speaker's lips and throat while the words were simultaneously spoken. Helen's determination overcoming her challenges led her to a successful academic career. At the age of 14, Helen had enrolled at the Wright-Humason School for the Deaf in New York. She was admitted to the Cambridge School for Young Ladies in Massachusetts at the age of 16. Her excellent grades in high school earned her admission to Radcliffe College in 1900. Although her four years of college may have been very difficult, her determination and perseverance led her to graduate with honors in 1904. She started writing about his life and overcoming so many obstacles during his college years. Helen and Sullivan became well known in academic circles of the time. Together, they made several presentations on defending the rights of people with disabilities. “Keller and Anne Sullivan…struggled together through four years of college like two Siamese twins, united by their flying fingers.” Sullivan never left Helen's side from the moment they met. She became Helen's voice throughout high school, college and professional life. Sullivan helped Helen reach her full potential and remained her faithful companion throughout her life. By sharing her story, she has inspired and become an example to those who have a disability and feel limited in what they can do. Aside from having to overcome her disabilities, she also had to deal with a lot of criticism during her college years. Helen and Sullivan were often accused of fraud. She never let the negativity around her stop her from achieving her goals. Helen Keller's efforts to learn to communicate and her desire to overcome her disability meant that she had to work harder than the rest of her peers while attending college. She relied on Sullivan as her personal companion during all classes in order to complete her work. Unlike her peers, Helen used unconventional approaches towards her academics while studying at Radcliffe College. She communicated by tactile reading, braille, typing and fingerspelling. Sullivan sat alongside her in every class to interpret lectures and texts. Even though it got difficult, she was determined to graduate from college. She was willing to do whatever it took to achieve her goals and get to where she was striving to be. Helen was the first deaf-blind person in American history to earn a bachelor's degree. While in college, she published her most famous autobiography titled “The Story of My Life.” In addition to writing numerous articles, she also published 12 books which immediately became bestsellers. Helen Keller's story began to become popular with the public. Many famous and influential people wanted to meet her. One of them was Henry H. Rogers, a Standard Oil executive. Rogers was so impressed by Keller's talent, drive and determination that he agreed to pay for her to attend Radcliffe College. After graduating from Radcliffe, Helen dedicated her life to disability rights advocacy. She became a role model and idol for those struggling with disability and broughta lot of hope in their lives. She has become a highly recognized person and recipient of numerous awards. Helen was determined to work on behalf of other disabled people by sharing her own experiences. She became a well-known celebrity, speaker, and outspoken social activist. In 1924, Helen joined the American Foundation for the Blind. It was a non-profit organization for the blind. His membership in the foundation paved the way for the rise of his social activism. Helen rose to fame throughout the 20th century as she campaigned for issues such as women's suffrage, labor rights, socialism, antimilitarism, and other similar causes. “Keller traveled throughout the United States for the AFB and helped establish rehabilitation centers and state commissions for the blind.” Helen did not believe that enough services were provided for the blind. That's why she testified before Congress, vigorously advocating for improving the welfare of the blind. She became a co-founder of Helen Keller International to combat the causes and consequences of blindness and malnutrition. It is today one of the leading international non-profit organizations dedicated to preventing blindness and reducing malnutrition. Helen also helped found the American Civil Liberties Union. A foundation that bears his name offers treatments and all necessary medical care for any type of disease that can cause blindness. Helen's accomplishments and strength of mind have helped change the way people view people with disabilities. Helen Keller's courage and courage is one of the main factors that allowed her to achieve her goals despite her disability. She was more focused on achieving her goals than worrying about what her disability would prevent her from doing. Helen refused to let being blind and deaf stop her from doing what she wanted and loved. As a captivating author, Helen has documented her life in her memoir. She was also a well-known speaker who gave motivational speeches assisted by Sullivan alongside her. His life's work has been recognized nationwide by leaders and celebrities. His achievements included several awards for courage. She also received honorary doctorates from Glasgow, Harvard and Temple Universities. “In 1964, President Lyndon B. Johnson presented Ms. Keller with the Presidential Medal of Freedom.” Helen was bothered by the way others viewed disabled people and wanted to change that view. This desire led her to help influence the perceptions of deafblind people by focusing on their determination to overcome obstacles rather than inviting others to pity them. There is no doubt that Helen Keller was one of the most notable figures of the mid-20th century. Everyone she influenced began to focus their works on her life. They realized that this was having a major impact on many people and that the effect it would have on the population would be long term. Keller's life story was depicted in the 1919 film "Deliverance" and in a 1959 Broadway production called "The Story of My Life." These productions became very popular and attracted many people who she influenced and those who looked up to her as a role model. His life story was later picked up by Hollywood. The “Miracle Worker,” a title often given to Anne Sullivan, became an Oscar-winning film in 1962. Keep in mind: this is just a sample. Get a now. 2016.