First NameHelenFamily NameKellerDate of Birth1880-06-27Place of BirthTuscumbia, Alabama, United StatesDate of Death1968-06-01Place of DeathEaston, Connecticut, United StatesBiographyHelen Adams Keller (June 27, 1880 – June 1, 1968) was an American author, disability rights advocate, political activist and lecturer. Born in West Tuscumbia, Alabama, she lost her sight and her hearing after a bout of illness when she was 19 months old. She then communicated primarily using home signs until the age of seven, when she met her first teacher and life-long companion Anne Sullivan. Sullivan taught Keller language, including reading and writing. After an education at both specialist and mainstream schools, Keller attended Radcliffe College of Harvard University and became the first deafblind person in the United States to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree.
In 1893 Keller attended the World's Columbian Exposition with her teacher Anne Sullivan. The president and managers of the exposition made some special arrangements for her at the event. She was given tours of the exposition and allowed to touch the machinery, artworks and other exhibits. Anne Sullivan recounts how Helen Keller was even allowed to climb on the artillery pieces at the German exhibit and handle the French bronzes.
Sourced from Helen Keller's Visit To The World's Fair, December 1893 Disability History MuseumEvent
