Helen Keller is a motivational and inspiring icon for all the physically impaired people across the world, particularly the deaf and the blind. Helen Keller was herself deaf and blind but she rose through all her challenges to show to the world that she is a Survivor and an Achiever, who overcame all her limitations.
Childhood and education: Helen Keller was born in 1880 in Alabama, in the USA. Her father was an Editor of a local publication. At an early age she contracted a severe illness, either Meningitis or Scarlet Fever, the aftereffects left her both Deaf and Blind. But even at that early age, she was a survivor and was good at picking up the sign language. Anne Sullivan, her teacher was also blind and was so struck by the uniqueness of her special student that she became her Teacher, Companion and Governess for next 29 years. Helen Keller continued her education through various reputed Colleges and became the first deaf and blind person to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree.
Author: Helen Keller was an American born, Author and was included in the Alabama State’s Author’s Hall of Fame in 2015. She wrote twelve books and various articles, throughout her life. At the age of 22 she wrote her autobiography called the Story of My Life, describing the various challenges she faced, and how she overcame all of them. Later on in life she wrote her Spiritual Autobiography called The Light in my Darkness. She describes her spiritual awakenings as her Light. She not only had the wisdom to experience and find inspiration in this Light to guide her good behaviour in life, but she also described it in her book so that many people across the world can share and draw inspiration from the same Light to face the challenges of their lives.
She was also a Lecturer and a Political activist. In 1964 Helen Keller was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, one of the Civilian Awards in the United States of America. She was also selected in 1965, in the National Women’s Hall of Fame.
Helen Keller is an inspiration to the Deaf and Blind of the world.