Helen Keller

June 27, 2009

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Profile America — Saturday, June 27th. Today marks the birthday in 1880 of one of the most remarkable of American women — Helen Keller. Less than 2 years old, she was struck with a major illness that left her deaf and blind. When she was 7, her family hired Anne Sullivan to try to teach her. The story of how Sullivan reached through Keller’s isolation and taught her to read and write sparked the book, stage play and movie “The Miracle Worker.” Keller went on to graduate from college, read five languages and travel the world, speaking for progressive causes. In the U.S., nearly one-in-five people have some sort of disability. About 12 percent of the population — 35 million — cope with a severe disability. You can find these and more facts about America from the U.S. Census Bureau online at <www.census.gov>.

Sources: Chase's Calendar of Events 2009, p. 333
U.S. Census Bureau News Release, CB08-185
http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/income_wealth/013041.html