Helen Keller was born in 1880 in Alabama and became deaf and blind at 19 months old due to an illness. She was taught to communicate by her teacher Anne Sullivan using finger spelling. With Anne's help, Helen learned to read and graduated from Radcliffe College, becoming a renowned author and advocate for disability rights. Her story of perseverance in the face of adversity was captured in The Miracle Worker and made her a worldwide symbol of courage and accomplishment.