Helen Keller : The light to the blind
Wednesday, 27 June 2007
Parvez Babul
HELEN means 'light'! But very unfortunately the girl named Helen did not have light in her eyes. She was blind. Though the person Helen Keller could not see this beautiful world due to her blindness, but she had a dream to let the blind and the visually impaired see. And she made her dream come true by bringing the light to the blind and the visually impaired of the whole world.
Helen toured many countries, brought courage and motivated the persons with disabilities, especially the blind and the visually impaired to love themselves, to be educated, self reliant and empowered. She placed herself as an example of overcoming many odds with confidence and a firm determination.
Helen Keller dedicated her life for the betterment of the persons with blindness and the visual impairments, but, unfortunately, still they are the most vulnerable and disadvantaged. To make sure the success of her noble vision, Helen Keller visited many countries (about 50) and delivered lecture asking them to practice their rights. She said, "I do not like the world as it is; so I am trying to make it a little more as I want it". She further said, "Blind people are just like seeing people in the dark. The loss of sight does not impair the qualities of mind and heart". And "Never bend your head. Always hold it high. Look at the world straight in the face".
Throughout her eventful life, Helen always stood by the blind and the visually impaired for their treatment, education and rehabilitation, empowerment and successfully advocated for them. To bring a positive change of the mindset-- Helen met all the Presidents of the United States of America (USA) during her time. She set up a unique example of working for the blind despite being a blind and deaf person herself. She used to do everything like a brilliant scholar with sight intelligently, confidently.
On the other hand, Helen did not have eyesight but a clear and noble vision to save sight and lives of the people, to show this world that all persons of any race, caste and community, every individual has the right to see. So all of us should perform our tasks to finish her unfinished jobs, e. g. to ensure respect for due rights of all people and to let our fellow persons with disabilities explore the opportunities to lead honourable, successful and meaningful lives.
Helen Keller's optimism inspires us to be optimistic, as she narrates, "I hope one day to see enough Braille presses, libraries, schools, and training centers and teachers to assure all persons the opportunities they would have had, had they not been blind. This is my greatest purpose in life".
To institutionalise her remarkable works, Helen Keller and George Kessler (a German-American Pioneer city planner) founded Helen Keller International (HKI) in 1915. At that time they named it American Foundation for the Blind, and the next year it was named Helen Keller International after the name of the great lady. Currently, Helen Keller International (HKI) is a leading international not-for-profit, private voluntary organization, devoted to combating blindness and malnutrition worldwide. It has programmes in 22 countries including Bangladesh. Not only HKI, Helen Keller was involved with many voluntary organizations to serve the needy and destitutes.
In fact, for transforming Helen Keller into a brilliant student, an uncommon social and development activist, author of several books, a successful advocate and a well-known unparallel person to the people worldwide--all credits should go to her great teacher Anne Sullivan. We must acknowledge the contribution and dedication of that noble soul. She was the companion of Helen Keller until her death. Evaluating her excellent creativeness as a teacher of Helen, Mark Twin conferred Anne with the tribute 'the miracle worker'!
The discussion of life and contribution of Helen Keller demands highlighting the patience, merit and dedication of Anne Sullivan too. Both Helen and Anne were inseparable. Helen Keller wrote about Anne, "By nature she was a conceiver, a trail-blazer, a pilgrim of life's wholeness. So day by day, month after month, year in and year out, she labored to provide me with a diction and a voice sufficient for my service to the blind…She is so near to me that I scarcely think of myself apart from her…I feel that her being in inseparable from my own, and that the footsteps of my life are in hers…all the best of me belongs to her…".
As part of recognition of lifelong contribution--Helen got many national and international prestigious awards, honorary Doctoral Degrees of different Universities of the world and America's highest honour: Presidential Medal of Freedom. The documentary film "Helen Keller in Her Story" won an Oscar award. Nancy Hamilton produced that film, both Helen and Anne and others acted in it.
Nobel Laureate Sir Winston Churchill called Helen "the greatest woman of the twentieth century". Jimmy Carter, the former US President wrote about Helen Keller as a foreword in a book of her quotations, "Without sight she saw clearly into the souls of her fellow men and women, and without hearing she heard plainly the cries of people who suffered from poverty, from war, from disabilities, from discrimination". Helen Keller's nephew Keller Johnson-Thompson wrote also as a preface in a same book about his great-great-aunt, "Helen Keller's life was not just about overcoming incredible odds, sacrificing for what you really want in life, and leaving the world better than you found it". Helen Keller herself remarks, "It is said that success is happiness. They are things that endure. They bring riches that never pass away and happiness that never fails".
Helen Keller was born on June 27, 1880 in Alabama, USA. She died on June 01, 1968 in Connecticut, USA only 26 days short of her 88th birth anniversary. Her mother was a home maker and her father Arthur Keller was the Editor of a newspaper: 'The North Alabamian'. This year (2007) June 27 is Helen Keller's 127th birth anniversary and June 01 was her 39th death anniversary.
Taken birth as a normal child, Helen Keller got a disease at the age of one year and seven months. Doctors diagnosed that as brain/ scarlet fever. Due to that wicked disease Helen became blind and deaf. Though she was able to talk in her life in several languages, but all the treatments were failure to remove her blindness and deafness. As a result, her parents were frustrated and along with Helen they went to the renowned scientist, telephone inventor Alexander Graham Bell for his advice. Alexander recommended a special teacher named Anne Sullivan to teach Helen Keller.
Anne came to Helen's house and engaged herself in teaching her through finger spelling. Anne started her teaching to Helen introducing the names of objects and the first one was WATER. Thus, the learning of Helen started and she learned the names of 30 objects at the first day! Step by step Helen got admission at school and college and she graduated from Radcliff College. Anne Sullivan helped Helen interpreting lectures and class notes. To write articles and books, Helen used to prepare the manuscripts in Braille first and then through a manual typewriter for publishing in newspapers and in book form. Braille alphabets were invented by a French blind scholar named Louis Braille for the blind/ visually impaired.
Helen wrote a few books too on her life, beloved teacher Anne and her religious belief. Helen wrote in her autobiography: "The Story of my Life", 'The winter of 1892 (she was 12 years old) was darkened by the one cloud in my childhood's bright sky. Joy deserted my heart, and for a long, long time I lived in doubt, anxiety and fear. Books lost their charm for me, and even now the thought of those dreadful days chills my heart…'.
The friend circle of Helen Keller was very rich. Such as Grover Cleveland, Charlie Chaplin, Jawaharlal Nehru, Mark Twin, Rabindra Nath Tagore et al. Helen Keller herself became an institution too. I think it is very important to mention here that a child goes blind in every minute and an adult every five seconds in the world! So if we want to make a change of this gloomy fact--we must follow Helen Keller.
The world will recall Helen as she is immortal and alive in the hearts of millions of blind and visually impaired, children, women, people who regained and, being able to protect their eyesight, have become development activists, friends and well- wishers, beneficiaries as well as the stakeholders of Helen Keller International.
Logically ,we should conduct more research on Helen Keller and include her life and achievements in the academic curriculum to encourage the persons with disabilities to pursue the goals of life and inspire the able ones to serve the disabled well.
The writer is Information and Advocacy Officer, Helen Keller International, Bangladesh, who can be reached at Email: [email protected]
HELEN means 'light'! But very unfortunately the girl named Helen did not have light in her eyes. She was blind. Though the person Helen Keller could not see this beautiful world due to her blindness, but she had a dream to let the blind and the visually impaired see. And she made her dream come true by bringing the light to the blind and the visually impaired of the whole world.
Helen toured many countries, brought courage and motivated the persons with disabilities, especially the blind and the visually impaired to love themselves, to be educated, self reliant and empowered. She placed herself as an example of overcoming many odds with confidence and a firm determination.
Helen Keller dedicated her life for the betterment of the persons with blindness and the visual impairments, but, unfortunately, still they are the most vulnerable and disadvantaged. To make sure the success of her noble vision, Helen Keller visited many countries (about 50) and delivered lecture asking them to practice their rights. She said, "I do not like the world as it is; so I am trying to make it a little more as I want it". She further said, "Blind people are just like seeing people in the dark. The loss of sight does not impair the qualities of mind and heart". And "Never bend your head. Always hold it high. Look at the world straight in the face".
Throughout her eventful life, Helen always stood by the blind and the visually impaired for their treatment, education and rehabilitation, empowerment and successfully advocated for them. To bring a positive change of the mindset-- Helen met all the Presidents of the United States of America (USA) during her time. She set up a unique example of working for the blind despite being a blind and deaf person herself. She used to do everything like a brilliant scholar with sight intelligently, confidently.
On the other hand, Helen did not have eyesight but a clear and noble vision to save sight and lives of the people, to show this world that all persons of any race, caste and community, every individual has the right to see. So all of us should perform our tasks to finish her unfinished jobs, e. g. to ensure respect for due rights of all people and to let our fellow persons with disabilities explore the opportunities to lead honourable, successful and meaningful lives.
Helen Keller's optimism inspires us to be optimistic, as she narrates, "I hope one day to see enough Braille presses, libraries, schools, and training centers and teachers to assure all persons the opportunities they would have had, had they not been blind. This is my greatest purpose in life".
To institutionalise her remarkable works, Helen Keller and George Kessler (a German-American Pioneer city planner) founded Helen Keller International (HKI) in 1915. At that time they named it American Foundation for the Blind, and the next year it was named Helen Keller International after the name of the great lady. Currently, Helen Keller International (HKI) is a leading international not-for-profit, private voluntary organization, devoted to combating blindness and malnutrition worldwide. It has programmes in 22 countries including Bangladesh. Not only HKI, Helen Keller was involved with many voluntary organizations to serve the needy and destitutes.
In fact, for transforming Helen Keller into a brilliant student, an uncommon social and development activist, author of several books, a successful advocate and a well-known unparallel person to the people worldwide--all credits should go to her great teacher Anne Sullivan. We must acknowledge the contribution and dedication of that noble soul. She was the companion of Helen Keller until her death. Evaluating her excellent creativeness as a teacher of Helen, Mark Twin conferred Anne with the tribute 'the miracle worker'!
The discussion of life and contribution of Helen Keller demands highlighting the patience, merit and dedication of Anne Sullivan too. Both Helen and Anne were inseparable. Helen Keller wrote about Anne, "By nature she was a conceiver, a trail-blazer, a pilgrim of life's wholeness. So day by day, month after month, year in and year out, she labored to provide me with a diction and a voice sufficient for my service to the blind…She is so near to me that I scarcely think of myself apart from her…I feel that her being in inseparable from my own, and that the footsteps of my life are in hers…all the best of me belongs to her…".
As part of recognition of lifelong contribution--Helen got many national and international prestigious awards, honorary Doctoral Degrees of different Universities of the world and America's highest honour: Presidential Medal of Freedom. The documentary film "Helen Keller in Her Story" won an Oscar award. Nancy Hamilton produced that film, both Helen and Anne and others acted in it.
Nobel Laureate Sir Winston Churchill called Helen "the greatest woman of the twentieth century". Jimmy Carter, the former US President wrote about Helen Keller as a foreword in a book of her quotations, "Without sight she saw clearly into the souls of her fellow men and women, and without hearing she heard plainly the cries of people who suffered from poverty, from war, from disabilities, from discrimination". Helen Keller's nephew Keller Johnson-Thompson wrote also as a preface in a same book about his great-great-aunt, "Helen Keller's life was not just about overcoming incredible odds, sacrificing for what you really want in life, and leaving the world better than you found it". Helen Keller herself remarks, "It is said that success is happiness. They are things that endure. They bring riches that never pass away and happiness that never fails".
Helen Keller was born on June 27, 1880 in Alabama, USA. She died on June 01, 1968 in Connecticut, USA only 26 days short of her 88th birth anniversary. Her mother was a home maker and her father Arthur Keller was the Editor of a newspaper: 'The North Alabamian'. This year (2007) June 27 is Helen Keller's 127th birth anniversary and June 01 was her 39th death anniversary.
Taken birth as a normal child, Helen Keller got a disease at the age of one year and seven months. Doctors diagnosed that as brain/ scarlet fever. Due to that wicked disease Helen became blind and deaf. Though she was able to talk in her life in several languages, but all the treatments were failure to remove her blindness and deafness. As a result, her parents were frustrated and along with Helen they went to the renowned scientist, telephone inventor Alexander Graham Bell for his advice. Alexander recommended a special teacher named Anne Sullivan to teach Helen Keller.
Anne came to Helen's house and engaged herself in teaching her through finger spelling. Anne started her teaching to Helen introducing the names of objects and the first one was WATER. Thus, the learning of Helen started and she learned the names of 30 objects at the first day! Step by step Helen got admission at school and college and she graduated from Radcliff College. Anne Sullivan helped Helen interpreting lectures and class notes. To write articles and books, Helen used to prepare the manuscripts in Braille first and then through a manual typewriter for publishing in newspapers and in book form. Braille alphabets were invented by a French blind scholar named Louis Braille for the blind/ visually impaired.
Helen wrote a few books too on her life, beloved teacher Anne and her religious belief. Helen wrote in her autobiography: "The Story of my Life", 'The winter of 1892 (she was 12 years old) was darkened by the one cloud in my childhood's bright sky. Joy deserted my heart, and for a long, long time I lived in doubt, anxiety and fear. Books lost their charm for me, and even now the thought of those dreadful days chills my heart…'.
The friend circle of Helen Keller was very rich. Such as Grover Cleveland, Charlie Chaplin, Jawaharlal Nehru, Mark Twin, Rabindra Nath Tagore et al. Helen Keller herself became an institution too. I think it is very important to mention here that a child goes blind in every minute and an adult every five seconds in the world! So if we want to make a change of this gloomy fact--we must follow Helen Keller.
The world will recall Helen as she is immortal and alive in the hearts of millions of blind and visually impaired, children, women, people who regained and, being able to protect their eyesight, have become development activists, friends and well- wishers, beneficiaries as well as the stakeholders of Helen Keller International.
Logically ,we should conduct more research on Helen Keller and include her life and achievements in the academic curriculum to encourage the persons with disabilities to pursue the goals of life and inspire the able ones to serve the disabled well.
The writer is Information and Advocacy Officer, Helen Keller International, Bangladesh, who can be reached at Email: [email protected]