The story of Anne Sullivan and Helen Keller is one of the most famous examples of human resilience and the power of education. It is a partnership that lasted nearly 50 years, transforming a “wild child” into one of the most influential figures of the 20th century.
In 1882, nineteen-month-old Helen Keller lost her sight and hearing to an illness (likely scarlet fever or meningitis). By age six, she was frustrated and often violent, communicating only through primitive “crude signs.” Her parents contacted the Perkins Institution for the Blind, who sent Anne Sullivan, a 20-year-old recent graduate who had regained some of her own sight after several operations.
Sullivan began by spelling words into Helen’s hand using the manual alphabet, but Helen didn’t understand that these finger movements represented objects. The turning point occurred on April 5, 1887: Sullivan took Keller to the outdoor water pump, as cool water poured over one of Keller’s hands, Sullivan spelled W-A-T-E-R into the other. Keller later described this as the moment her soul was awakened, realizing the “cool something” had a name. By the end of that day, Keller had learned 30 new words.
Sullivan stayed by Keller’s side for decades, serving as her “Teacher,” interpreter, and companion. Sullivan accompanied Keller to Radcliffe College, spelling lectures into her hand. In 1904, Keller became the first deaf-blind person to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree. The duo traveled the world, lecturing on behalf of the American Foundation for the Blind and advocating for women’s suffrage and workers’ rights. Their relationship was immortalized in William Gibson’s play and subsequent film, The Miracle Worker, which focused on their early struggle to communicate.
Even as Sullivan’s own health and eyesight began to fail again, she remained Helen’s primary link to the world. When Sullivan died in 1936, Keller was holding her hand. Keller lived for another 32 years, but she always credited “Teacher” for every accomplishment she achieved.
“The most important day I remember in all my life is the one on which my teacher, Anne Mansfield Sullivan, came to me.” — Helen Keller
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