The Story of My Life

About Helen Keller

Helen Keller (1880-1968) was an American author activist and lecturer. Born in Tuscumbia Alabama Keller suffered a sudden illness at nineteen months old that left her both deaf and blind. Her parents brought her to Baltimore to consult with Alexander Graham Bell then a teacher for deaf children. He referred them to the Perkins Institute for the Blind which paired Keller with Anne Sullivan a visually impaired instructor who would remain by Helens side for the next half century as her governess and companion. With Sullivans help she learned to read and write as well as to speak using the Tadoma method. Between 1888 and 1900 Keller attended specialist schools for the deaf and blind before being admitted to Radcliffe College then Harvard Universitys school for women. In 1903 she published her autobiography The Story of My Life with the help of Sullivan and her husband John. A year later Keller became the first deafblind person to graduate with a Bachelor of Arts. She joined the Socialist Party of America in 1909 and spent the next twelve years speaking and writing on topics such as womens suffrage pacifism and workers rights. In addition she joined the Industrial Workers of the World in 1915. Keller was also a prominent activist for African American civil rights supporting the NAACP and joining the American Civil Liberties Union. From 1924 on she dedicated herself to lecturing and organizing for the American Foundation for the Blind traveling to thirty-five countries and across the United States to speak on behalf of those living with blindness. Major written works include Out of the Dark (1913) a collection of essays on socialism and My Religion (1927) a spiritual autobiography expressing her relationship with the teachings of Emanuel Swedenborg.