Helen Keller
1890-1968
Why not start with a favorite? Helen Keller is one of my all time favorite women. She lost her hearing and sight at the age of 19 months. She was a very frustrated child, because of her lack of ability to communicate she often had tantrums to get her point across. Eventually her parents hire an expert teacher named Anne Sullivan. Anne was able to teach Helen to communicate with others by touching their lips, using Braille and signing into others hands. Helen Keller sparked my personal interest in American Sign Language and Deaf Culture when I was young.
Helen's accomplishments include
--communicating in multiple languages including French, German, Latin and Greek
--first deaf-blind person to earn a bachelor of arts degree
--campaigned for women's suffrage, labor rights, socialism, antimilitarism, and other causes
--she used her experiences to bring awareness and understanding of those with disabilities
Helen's accomplishments are many, however without the care and understanding of her teach and friend, Anne Sullivan she would have had a difficult time bring her beliefs and advocacy to fruition.
Today we honor both Helen Keller and Anne Sullivan, two strong, intelligent women with much to teach us about the importance of communication and education.
What difficulties do you face when trying to communicate with others? How do you overcome these challenges?
No comments:
Post a Comment