Watch: Anne Sullivan Reveals How She Taught Helen Keller to Talk!

Helen Keller lost her vision and hearing after a severe illness when she was just 19 months old. When she was 6 years old, Anne Sullivan came to teach her how to communicate.

Anne was Helen’s lifeline. The six year old had only known silence and darkness with little means of communicating. Ann first began signing into Helen’s hands. The child leaned 575 words in 6 months. Later, they made the amazing jump to spoken word. Nobody had believed this was possible.

During the late 19th and early 20th century there weren’t many services for disabled people. That’s why the world was so captivated with Anne and Helen. It was amazing to hear a deaf and blind person actually speak. As you can see in the video below, Anne’s technique was rather simple. Her patience and persistence clearly paid off.

Helen went onto to earn a degree from Radcliffe College. She and Anne shined a light on the needs and abilities of the disabled. People throughout the world were fascinated with what they were able to accomplish.

Share this if you are amazed at what Helen Keller was able to learn!