When Helen Keller died in 1968 at the age of 87, she was rightly hailed “as a symbol of the indomitable human spirit” — a heroine who overcame blindness and deafness and triumphed in tragedy.
Helen Keller Day, an annual observance of her birth each June 27th, provides us with a great opportunity to highlight this remarkable woman — and glean from her life the many lessons and principles desperately needed today.
Many may not realize Helen Keller was born with normal communication abilities. Although it was unknown at the time, experts now believe it was either scarlet fever or meningitis at 18 months of age that took her vision and hearing.
Yet, with the help of a teacher, the youngster pushed ahead, leaning to speak by first feeling hand signals pressed into the palm of her hand and then by feeling the vibrations of sounds from another’s mouth.
After attending various schools for the deaf in Boston and New York, she was admitted and graduated cum laude within four years from Radcliffe College. She soon began writing and lecturing all over the country.
Originally published in the Washington Times. | 
