Helen Keller Helen Keller (June 27, 1880-June 1, 1968). She was a U.S. writer and educator who was blind and deaf. Keller was deprived due to her sickness of sight and hearing at 19 months, and her speech improvement soon ended as well. After five years, she was nstructed by Anne Sullivan (1866-1936), who educated her on the names of objects by squeezing the manual alphabets in order into her palm. At last, Keller figured out how to read and write in Braille. She wrote many books, including The Story of My Life (1902), Optimism (1903), The World I Live in (1908), Light in My Darkness and My Religion (1927), Helen Keller's Journal (1938), and The Open Door (1957). Her childhood was portrayed in William Gibson's play The Miracle Worker in 1959 (film, 1962). Read More Read Less