Helen Keller

Born in Tuscumbia, Alabama, in 1880, she lost both sight and hearing after an illness in infancy. With the help of teacher Anne Sullivan, she learned to communicate, later attended Radcliffe College, and became the first deafblind person in the United States to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree.

She went on to write books and essays, lecture widely, and build a public career that reached far beyond her childhood education story. Over the years, she worked closely with the American Foundation for the Blind and traveled internationally to advocate for people who were blind or disabled.

Her legacy endures because she challenged what many people of her time believed was possible. Remembered as an author, educator, and activist, she helped change public attitudes and expand opportunities for generations of disabled people.