Helen Keller

Hello, my name is Helen Keller, and I want to tell you my story. For a short time, my world was full of sunshine, birdsong, and my mother’s sweet voice. I was born on a warm day, June 27th, 1880, in a small town called Tuscumbia, Alabama. I was a happy baby who loved exploring the world. But when I was just 19 months old, a mysterious illness came and swept all the light and sound away. It was like a door slammed shut, leaving me alone in a quiet, dark place. Imagine not being able to see the faces of your family or hear them call your name. I couldn’t tell anyone when I was hungry or what I wanted to do. This made me feel so frustrated and trapped. Sometimes, that frustration boiled over into anger, and I would kick and scream because it was the only way I knew how to communicate. I felt like a little ghost in my own home, lost and completely alone.

Then, on March 3rd, 1887, a day I would later call my soul's birthday, everything changed. A young woman named Anne Sullivan came to be my teacher. At first, I didn't understand what she was trying to do. She would give me a doll and then take my hand and trace strange shapes into my palm. She was spelling 'd-o-l-l', but to me, it was just a finger-game. I grew impatient with her, and we had many difficult days. One day, she led me outside to the old water pump in our yard. As I stood there, she put one of my hands under the spout where cool water gushed out, sending a shiver up my arm. With her other hand, she took my free hand and spelled the letters 'w-a-t-e-r' into my palm, slowly at first, then again more quickly. Suddenly, a light went on inside my mind. The cool, wet feeling on one hand and the letters spelled into the other clicked together. Water! This wonderful, cool thing had a name. In that one moment, my whole world cracked open. I finally understood that everything had a name, and I wanted to know them all.

After that day at the water pump, I was filled with a great thirst for knowledge. I wanted to learn the name of the ground, the trees, the flowers, and every single thing I could touch. Anne was a patient teacher, and soon she taught me how to read Braille, which is a special kind of writing with raised dots for blind people. I loved reading books; they took me on adventures all over the world. I also learned how to write and even how to speak, though my voice always sounded a little different from others. My dream was to go to college just like everyone else. It was very hard work, but on June 28th, 1904, I graduated from Radcliffe College. It was one of the proudest days of my life. Along my journey, I met wonderful people who helped me, like Alexander Graham Bell, the inventor of the telephone. He was the one who told my parents to find me a teacher. I also became great friends with the famous author Mark Twain, who always made me laugh.

My education was just the beginning of my journey. I realized that my own story could help people understand what it was like to live without sight or hearing. I wrote a book about my experiences called 'The Story of My Life'. Soon, I was traveling all over the world, speaking to large crowds of people. I used my voice to fight for better opportunities for people with disabilities. I wanted to make sure they had the same chances to learn and succeed as everyone else. I also spoke up for fairness and equal rights for all people, because I knew how important it was for every person to be heard. Looking back, I see that the dark, silent world of my childhood taught me a powerful lesson: communication is the bridge that connects us to one another. No matter what challenges you face, with hope and determination, you can find your own way to let your light shine.