Helen Keller: A Voice of People with Disabilities

This chapter provides an overview of the contributions of Helen Keller in the field of education discussing her primary influences, motivations, key contributions, insights, and legacies. Keller’s views on education were inspired by the practices of her teacher and mentor, Anne Sullivan. Keller spoke of Sullivan as “the Teacher” even after her death. The enormity of Keller learning to speak and write despite being mute and dysgraphia, colored Keller’s views on education for her entire career. Keller’s most original and enduring contributions to educational philosophy and practice were: (a) her emphasis on learning discussed in “The World I Live In,” and (b) her insistence upon reading historical works in the context of social and political struggles. She was involved deeply in socialism, which affected every part of her life, especially her views on the nature and practice of education.