Helen Keller

My hero is an extraordinary woman who at 19 months of age lost her hearing and vision; but with amazing perseverance she became highly educated and a true humanitarian. My hero is Helen Keller. The American Foundation for the Blind (2008) observed that “So powerful a symbol of triumph over adversity did she become that she has a definite place in the history of our time and of times to come” (para 1). Helen worked her whole life to improve the lives of others who were deaf or blind. In fact, Helen’s will lists the American Foundation for the Blind as the sole repository for her memorabilia and papers.

Helen was born in Tuscumbia, Alabama as a healthy child on June 27, 1880. It is believed that Helen Keller had scarlet fever when she was 19 months old and that this caused her to be deaf and blind. She lived in several places during her life -Tuscumbia, Alabama; Forest Hills, New York; Wrentham, Massachusetts; and her last residence in Easton, Connecticut. She died June 1, 1968, just before her 88th birthday. Her ashes were placed in St. Joseph’s Chapel of Washington Cathedral. She was placed next to her favorite teacher, Anne Sullivan Macy. Senator Lister Hill of Alabama delivered her eulogy and expressed sincerely, "She will live on, one of the few, the immortal names not born to die. Her spirit will endure as long as man can read and stories can be told of the woman who showed the world there are no boundaries to courage and faith" (The American Foundation for the Blind, 2008, para. 30).

Helen Keller, on her graduation from Radcliffe (http://www.afb.org/mylife/book.asp?ch=HK-intro)

Helen Keller was blind and deaf but she had the desire to go to college. With the help of her teacher, Anne Sullivan Macy, she mastered the alphabet, learned how to read and write, and speak. She attended the Cambridge School for Young Ladies. She then entered Radcliffe College in 1900 and received her Bachelor of Arts degree in 1904. While at Radcliffe, she started writing. The Story of My Life was released in 1903. Since its release, it has been translated into 50 different languages. After receiving her B.A., she continued to champion for others facing adversity and contributing to newspapers and magazines about issues such as women’s rights, social issues, deafness, and blindness. Helen Keller also received numerous awards in her lifetime. Through all of this, Helen never forgot nor grew tired of helping those less fortunate than herself.

Helen Keller is important to me because she never let a disability slow her down. She was blind and deaf but brought courage, hope, and help to others with disabilities. She helped the American Foundation for the Blind raise money and was even interested in blind and deaf people in other parts of the world. She has been honored all over the world for the work that she has done to help the blind and the deaf. She gave of herself unselfishly to help other blind and deaf people that would come after her. Helen exemplifies more than one pillar of Character Counts. She exemplifies the pillars of trustworthiness, responsibility, caring, and citizenship. She was trustworthy because she had the courage to do the right thing; responsible because she persevered; caring because she helped others in need; and a good citizen because she tried to improve the community around her.

Helen Keller at age 78. (http://www.afb.org/ead/eadmain.asp)

She is a hero in my eyes. She was born in 1880 when women and people with disabilities were not expected to contribute much to society. After having scarlet fever at 19 months of age, she became blind and deaf. These ailments did not stop her. Through Helen’s devotion and hard work for the less fortunate, she was able to contribute greatly to the American Foundation for the Blind, which has changed countless lives. Her awards and lifetime achievements are too numerous to mention. Helen unselfishly put her community, nation, and ultimately the world before herself. She left a lasting legacy so bright that anyone who has a disability can follow her path and not stumble.