October is National Disability Awareness Month, and it's Differing Abilities Week at NewMoonGirls.com! Today we're profiling a woman who was both deaf and blind, but was still able to lead an accomplished life despite these obstacles.Helen Keller was born in 1880 in Alabama. At nineteen months of age, she contracted an illness which left her both deaf and blind. Because of her condition, she was unable to communicate with other people.
When she was seven years old, her parents hired Anne Sullivan to be her tutor. Anne was able to teach Helen how to hand spell and read. Helen went on to graduate from Radcliffe College, making her the first deaf and blind person to graduate from college.
She spent her life working as both a writer and political activist. She supported many progressive causes, including women's right to vote and socialism. As an advocate for the visually impaired and deaf, she developed support programs for people living with disabilities and travelled the world giving speeches about her own experiences. At the age of 22, she published her autobiography The Story of My Life. She wrote a total of over twelve books during her life!
Read about other extraordinary girls who live with unique challenges this week at NewMoonGirls.com.
No comments:
Post a Comment