Editor’s note: This publication has been updated as of June 2026 to reflect new information about the legacy of Helen Keller and the preservation of her work.
It may be hard to imagine, but Helen Keller – born June 27, 1880 – and her beloved teacher and friend Annie Sullivan were the TikTok stars of their day.
Annie is best known for teaching the deaf-blind Helen to learn language by forming letters in her hand, and later Helen learned to write, read Braille, speak, and give public speeches. When Helen was an adult, they traveled the world as celebrities, educating people about the abilities of deaf, blind, and visually impaired people.
From an early age, Helen wrote letters to kings, queens and princes across Europe. Later, she became friends with celebrities such as Thomas Edison, Henry Ford, several US presidents, and many writers and authors – including Mark Twain. Helen and Annie even visited him at his home. They actively engaged with the media.
Following an unexpected path to success
In addition to her extensive collection of letters, Helen published nearly a dozen books, most of which are still in print. She traveled to 35 countries, giving speeches and raising millions of dollars for the American Foundation for the Blind (AFB), for which she worked for 44 years. Helen championed the causes of other blindness organizations around the world and became somewhat of a goodwill ambassador for the United States.
Despite Helen’s clear determination, her life is shaped by a series of coincidences.
It is interesting to think whether Helen Keller would be a well-known person today if she had not fallen ill as a child and lost her sight and hearing. Her parents consulted several doctors, including Alexander Graham Bell, a leading expert on special education. This connection led her to the Perkins School for the Blind, and eventually to Annie Sullivan. If these events had not occurred, she probably would have married at nineteen, raised a family, and perhaps published some newspaper articles; Otherwise her life would have remained largely unrecorded in history.
Lead an inspiring life
Throughout her life, Helen worked hard to improve herself and the lives of others. She was the first deaf-blind person to earn a college degree in the United States from Radcliffe College. This was at a time when many people did not believe that women should go to college. Even though she learned Braille, Helen still often communicated with Annie’s spelling aid in her hand. However, Annie was not allowed to be with Helen during any of her tests because there was an incorrect assumption that it was Annie who was actually doing all the work.
Radcliffe did not provide any accommodations. Instead, it was made possible through the help of many of Annie and Helen’s friends, who paid for copies of her textbooks in Braille. She took notes in class using a tablet and pen, a handwriting tool for taking notes in Braille.
In other words, Helen earned the degree on her own, with accommodations at the time – just as a student would do today. This was made more difficult because at that time there was no universally accepted form of Braille. One of Helen’s tests was Braille, which she had only been introduced to a few days before, yet she persevered. She continued to learn Braille in German and French, proving that she had a great talent for language and communication. In the end, Helen preferred Braille, which is the standard today, and used a Braille writer. She was also an excellent typist, printing manuscripts and speeches she wrote in Braille. As her fame grew, she had a team to help her, including Annie, and later Polly Thompson, who would proofread her typewritten work.
Create a legacy
Helen became an outspoken advocate for many causes. She did not simply advocate for people who were deaf, blind, blind, or had other disabilities. She was an advocate for all people. Many people know Helen from her childhood story, but we would be doing her a disservice if we don’t learn more about her adult life and the causes she championed. During the period of widespread book burning in Germany before World War II, the works of Helen Keller were targeted. I wrote a letter to the student body addressing their actions directly. The letter began with the poignant phrase: “History has taught you nothing if you think you can kill ideas.”
American Foundation for the Blind Helen Keller Awards
To add to Helen’s legacy, The AFB established awards in her honor in 1994 To recognize people and organizations that “excel” in continuing Helen’s work by pursuing the goal of expanding possibilities for people who are blind or partially sighted.
For example, in April 2026, AFB honored Molly Burke, Cathy Nemmer, and T-Mobile. Molly is a social influencer and author The Unseen: How I Lost My Vision and Found My Voice. Cathy is a motivational speaker and educator who has won awards for her work, including Foundation SeedsA mentoring program for new teachers. She has also written two books, one about the relationship between service dogs and their handlers. T-Mobile has been working to create accessible smartphones and launched MagentaA11y, a toolkit for designers, developers and testers to enable digital accessibility.
Helen Keller Archive
The AFB has created a digital archive of all of Helen Keller’s letters, writings, news clippings, artifacts and more – including that telegram – which can be accessed by anyone at any time.
Helen and Annie both wrote in their will that they wished some of their historical materials to be preserved in a small museum and made available for public viewing. APH has partnered with AFB to help realize this dream. In early 2020, APH began collecting historical materials for Helen and Annie. APH obtained 22 pallets of items from AFB, and among those loaned items was Helen’s writing desk. For those who want to learn more about Helen and Annie, both the Keller Family Home in Alabama and the Perkins School for the Blind have fine collections that complement the APH exhibit.
The Dot Experience, APH Museum, will feature many artifacts from Helen and Annie’s collections. The museum will open in October and, as stated on the website, is “the world’s first attraction that makes every exhibit, photograph and artifact accessible to everyone — including people who might not be able to see it.” Plan a visit to Louisville to check out this 28,000-square-foot “Journey into the Human Experience” museum.
