2. When and where Helen was born
• Helen Keller was born June 27, 1880 in
Tuscumbia, Alabama.
3. Early Life
She was born healthy but when she was 19 months
old she became very ill, and was turned both deaf
and blind. She couldn’t communicate so when she
didn’t get my way she threw tantrums
Back then, there was not medicine to help when a
child got a high fever, and many kids died but she
lived and ended up being blind and deaf from the
virus that she got sick with. She had a very high
fever for four days and almost died.
She had lots of surgeries to try to get better, but
nothing worked.
• The family was not particularly wealthy and earned
income from their cotton plantation.
4. Education
She was taught to sign language by her teacher
Annie. She taught me all she knew and after
awhile Helen could read and write. My “a-ha”
moment was when she held my hand under the
water spout and that day I learned 30 words and
my education began!
She went to the Perkins Institute for the blind
and eventually went on to Radcliffe College and
graduated with honors. None of this would have
been possible without having Annie by her side
as her teacher throughout her early years and
most of her adult life
5. Adult Life/Career
She spoke all over the world about being blind,
and over time earned lots of money as a
“lecturer” (speaker).
She gave money away to help soldiers who had
gone blind in the world wars. She traveled to
Europe in 1931, and this was just one of her stops
in her travels around the world.
She also learned how to ride a horse
She performed as a vaudeville performer with
Annie
6. Accomplishment
She did many things during her adult life, but
her greatest accomplishment was truly
learning to read and write and speak.
She learned how to read braille
7. Impact on the world
She was also an activist and promoted
world peace by speaking about peace all
over the world.
She was even and author and an actor!
She is thought of as the greatest woman
that ever lived
8. Date and cause of death
She died in my sleep of natural causes at the
age of 88 in 1968.
