April 5th, 2025
Anne Sullivan went to Tuscumbia, AL, in March 1887 to teach the “unteachable” deaf and blind Helen Keller. Although Keller was resistant, Sullivan was determined, and after only one month she succeeded in reaching her in an innovative way. She placed Keller’s hand under a gushing water pump and used sign language to spell “w-a-t-e-r” into her palm. Helen grasped the meaning — spelling the word back into Sullivan’s palm — and excitedly learned 30 more words that day. Keller’s life changed at that breakthrough moment. Keller would go on to become the first deaf and blind person to graduate from college, write books and crusade for the disabled.
Source: time.com/5918660/helen-keller-disability-history/
