Helen Keller Day 2023 (US): Helen Keller Day is observed on June 27 and honours the life and accomplishments of Helen Keller, a woman who overcame blindness and deafness to attain fame. Anne Sullivan was Helen Keller’s teacher, and she received her own recognition. At the age of five, Sullivan was affected by trachoma, an eye disease that impaired her vision. She was forced to learn the manual alphabet and encountered adversity as a result. She was deemed a miraculous worker for teaching her student to read and write when no one believed she would succeed.
HISTORY OF HELEN KELLER DAY
Helen Keller was born in Tuscumbia, Alabama, on June 27, 1880, but things soon deteriorated. At the age of 19 months, a form of bacterial meningitis rendered her unable to see, hear, or communicate. Alexander Graham Bell, a renowned physicist and inventor best known for inventing the first telephone, advised the family to apply to the Perkins Institute for the Blind in Boston.
They heeded Bell’s recommendation, and in 1887, Keller was taught by Anne Sullivan, a young teacher who herself had suffered from vision impairment. Keller was calmed by Sullivan’s “touch teaching” techniques and her expert guidance, despite Keller’s apparent lack of control. Keller learned to read and write in Braille as a result of Sullivan’s personal experiences, which provided her with a greater understanding of her student’s struggles. Keller utilised deaf-mute hand signals, which she comprehended through touch.
Keller would eventually become a writer. Her autobiography “The Story of my Life” was published in 1902, and many readers took her story to heart. In 1904, she graduated from Radcliffe College with honours, becoming the first blind and deaf lady to earn a college degree. As a result of Sullivan’s assistance, she became a public speaker and required the services of an interpreter to be understood. People were inspired by her resounding spirit to surmount the expectations placed on her because of her disabilities, and this led to advancements in handicapped public services.
Helen Keller advocated for racial and sexual equality and raised funds for the American Foundation for the Blind. From 1920 to 1924, Sullivan and Keller performed a vaudeville performance to entertain, raise funds, and educate the general public. Keller passed away in Easton, Connecticut, on June 1, 1968, at the age of 87, but her legacy of public service and resilience endures forever. In 2006, the president of the United States proclaimed Helen Keller Day, along with a number of notable international organisations that assist the blind and deaf.
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5 INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT HELEN KELLER DAY
Later diagnosis
It is now believed that Helen Keller’s disabilities were caused by scarlet fever.
Secondary schooling
She attended Horace Mann School for the Deaf in Boston and Wright-Humanson School for the Deaf in New York City for her secondary education.
Presidential recognition
Keller was awarded the Theodore Roosevelt Distinguished Service Medal in 1936.
It is a privilege to be nominated
In 1953, Helen Keller was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize.
Huckleberry buddy
Helen Keller met the famous author Mark Twain when she was 14 years old, and they remained friends until his death 16 years later.
HELEN KELLER DAY DATES
| Year | Date | Day |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | June 27 | Tuesday |
| 2024 | June 27 | Thursday |
| 2025 | June 27 | Friday |
| 2026 | June 27 | Saturday |
| 2027 | June 27 | Sunday |
