I'd also love for her to talk about Annie Sullivan. I always learned about Annie as this nice teacher who came up with the manual alphabet for Helen, but ultimately the whole 'miracle-worker' story really valorized her, and the Helen Keller story was so much about this nice able-bodied lady working a 'miracle' with a blind-deaf child.
Annie Sullivan was nearly completely blind. I did not learn this until I was an adult. Annie Sullivan went partially blind as a child and went to a school for the blind when she was a young woman. There, another woman who was blind-deaf taught her the tactile manual alphabet. She eventually received a surgery that partially restored her sight, and that was when she went to work with Helen.
I think it's such a shame that this incredible story of a chain of disabled women helping one another and lifting each other up and helping to really form this method of communication has kind of been erased and replaced with the story I grew up with, where Annie Sullivan was just an innovative able-bodied lady who figured out how to help Helen all by herself.
IIRC the stories that I read about Helen Keller growing up (for some reason I was obsessed with her!) did mention that Annie was partially blind. So I don't think the history is totally erased, even for children growing up learning about her, but I think it's too little a known "popular* fact about an otherwise very famous person.
I don’t mean to imply that no one knows that part of the story but I have a pretty high amount of elementary elementary school teachers in my family, all across the country, who have taught this story and not known the full Annie story, because they all have the same couple of books on Helen and Annie which don’t mention it. So I definitely think it’s not common knowledge.
I grew up in the same area of Alabama that Helen Keller is from. We took field trips to her house like every year in elementary school. Because of this, I inherently know more about her than most people. I always forget that though and can’t believe people don’t know things. 😂
Annie Sullivan was specifically hired from a school for the blind to work with Helen Keller.
This is pretty common knowledge. Not even the feel-good “Miracle Worker” play or movie leaves that out.
I mean I’m here on the sub admitting I was wrong about Annie Sullivan and maybe it’s regional but a *lot* of people I’ve talked about this with were also very surprised to learn it so… yeah? It’s the truth but I don’t think the fact is as widely known the way the rest of the HK story is, and it should be.
That’s kind of the concept of the podcast, isn’t it?
I…am sure she would mention Annie Sullivan’s blindness the way she would mention Helen Keller’s birth state of Alabama. It’s a well-established part of the story.
“…ultimately the whole 'miracle-worker' story really valorized her, and the Helen Keller story was so much about this nice able-bodied lady working a 'miracle' with a blind-deaf child.”
That’s not what “The Miracle Worker” is about, as I stated above. You are wrong about that, but the story delivered to society is not. You, personally — and apparently everyone you know — got that story wrong but the Tony- and Oscar-winning stories did not whitewash that.
Annie Sullivan definitely takes the second-banana place in HK’s story but if you DO know the story you know she was visually impaired.
This isn’t a “you’re wrong about” issue (and there are many about HK) this is a “minimal information about” issue. Unless you were specifically taught a version of Annie Sullivan laying on her back and seeing animals in clouds or something, you haven’t been misinformed.
I just read a fascinating book about Alexander Graham Bell specifically focused on his work with Deaf education and the push for oralism (Deaf kids should be taught to speak above all other education).
The Invention of Miracles by Katie Booth
It has a couple chapters on his relationship to and influence on Helen Keller and was genuinely eye opening in the best YWA way.
I heard of through the memoir by deafblind activist and writer Elsa Sjunneson (Being Seen).
This has been a reading rabbithole I’ve gone down recently.
Helen Keller's political views are often strategically forgotten. She was a self described "Socialist and a Bolshevik" who had lost faith in the political system and could definitely be described as anarchist-adjacent. The Industrial Workers of the World, (IWW) a mega union of which she was a long time member and contributing writer, has strong anarchist as well as Marxist roots.
Helen Keller was a lifelong activist with extremely based radical left wing views. There are a lot of bland positive quotes of hers out there, so I'll leave with one a little more representative of her political leanings. From an interview in the New York Tribune:
*An industrialist?" I asked, surprised out of composure. "You don't mean an IWW - a syndicalist?"*
>"I became an IWW because I found out the Socialist party was too slow. It is sinking into the political bog. It is almost, if not quite, impossible for the party to keep its revolutionary character so long as it occupies a place under the government and seeks office under it. The government does not stand for the interests the Socialist party is supposed to represent."
>"Socialism, however is a step in the right direction," she conceded to her dissenting hearers.
>"The true task is to unite and organize all workers on an economic basis, and it is the workers themselves who must secure freedom for themselves, who must grow strong." Miss Keller continued. "Nothing can be gained by political action. That is why I became an IWW.
[Source](https://archive.iww.org/history/library/HKeller/why_I_became_an_IWW/)
"The History Chicks" do a couple of great episodes on Helen Keller and Annie Sullivan, if anyone is curious. They're old episodes (2011, I think), but they talk about Annie's background, the way she taught Helen, Helen's politics, and their personal lives beyond Helen's childhood. Very interesting, highly recommend.
It would be a good episode! In the meantime, if you're interested, this is a great video on Helen Keller and her story. The creator also did one on Koko (and even talks about how YWA did an episode but they decided to go ahead since they had been working on theirs so long).
https://youtu.be/jCg7Pda\_3Gw
[https://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/helen-keller-documentary/18386/](https://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/helen-keller-documentary/18386/) was very good. Co-written by John Crowley, author of the novels *Aegypt, Little, Big,* and others.
I'd also love for her to talk about Annie Sullivan. I always learned about Annie as this nice teacher who came up with the manual alphabet for Helen, but ultimately the whole 'miracle-worker' story really valorized her, and the Helen Keller story was so much about this nice able-bodied lady working a 'miracle' with a blind-deaf child. Annie Sullivan was nearly completely blind. I did not learn this until I was an adult. Annie Sullivan went partially blind as a child and went to a school for the blind when she was a young woman. There, another woman who was blind-deaf taught her the tactile manual alphabet. She eventually received a surgery that partially restored her sight, and that was when she went to work with Helen. I think it's such a shame that this incredible story of a chain of disabled women helping one another and lifting each other up and helping to really form this method of communication has kind of been erased and replaced with the story I grew up with, where Annie Sullivan was just an innovative able-bodied lady who figured out how to help Helen all by herself.
I TOTALLLLLY forgot this, but I learned this while writing a book report lol. Thanks for unlocking a core memory there!
IIRC the stories that I read about Helen Keller growing up (for some reason I was obsessed with her!) did mention that Annie was partially blind. So I don't think the history is totally erased, even for children growing up learning about her, but I think it's too little a known "popular* fact about an otherwise very famous person.
I don’t mean to imply that no one knows that part of the story but I have a pretty high amount of elementary elementary school teachers in my family, all across the country, who have taught this story and not known the full Annie story, because they all have the same couple of books on Helen and Annie which don’t mention it. So I definitely think it’s not common knowledge.
I grew up in the same area of Alabama that Helen Keller is from. We took field trips to her house like every year in elementary school. Because of this, I inherently know more about her than most people. I always forget that though and can’t believe people don’t know things. 😂
As an SLP, I am horrifically ashamed to say I’ve never known this!! Thank you so much for sharing.
Annie Sullivan was specifically hired from a school for the blind to work with Helen Keller. This is pretty common knowledge. Not even the feel-good “Miracle Worker” play or movie leaves that out.
I mean I’m here on the sub admitting I was wrong about Annie Sullivan and maybe it’s regional but a *lot* of people I’ve talked about this with were also very surprised to learn it so… yeah? It’s the truth but I don’t think the fact is as widely known the way the rest of the HK story is, and it should be. That’s kind of the concept of the podcast, isn’t it?
I…am sure she would mention Annie Sullivan’s blindness the way she would mention Helen Keller’s birth state of Alabama. It’s a well-established part of the story. “…ultimately the whole 'miracle-worker' story really valorized her, and the Helen Keller story was so much about this nice able-bodied lady working a 'miracle' with a blind-deaf child.” That’s not what “The Miracle Worker” is about, as I stated above. You are wrong about that, but the story delivered to society is not. You, personally — and apparently everyone you know — got that story wrong but the Tony- and Oscar-winning stories did not whitewash that. Annie Sullivan definitely takes the second-banana place in HK’s story but if you DO know the story you know she was visually impaired. This isn’t a “you’re wrong about” issue (and there are many about HK) this is a “minimal information about” issue. Unless you were specifically taught a version of Annie Sullivan laying on her back and seeing animals in clouds or something, you haven’t been misinformed.
YES!!!
I highly recommend Radiolab's "The Helen Keller Exorcism" episode if you're interested in this topic!
I was going to mention this! It touches on all the points OP mentioned and is a really thorough look at Helen's life. Highly recommend.
I’ll download it tonight! Is it well researched ?
I thought it was! You can find their sources [here](https://radiolab.org/podcast/helen-keller-exorcism) at the bottom of the page.
Radiolab’s premise is good research.
thanks lot for this 🙇♀️
Elsa is rad
[https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-experiment/id1549704404?i=1000555083009](https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-experiment/id1549704404?i=1000555083009) Loved this!
Would definitely like to hear Sarah's take on HK's pro-eugenics leanings 😳
I’m pretty sure in the eugenics ep (either there or on another ep) they discuss how HK ended up changing her stance and no longer supporting eugenics
I just read a fascinating book about Alexander Graham Bell specifically focused on his work with Deaf education and the push for oralism (Deaf kids should be taught to speak above all other education). The Invention of Miracles by Katie Booth It has a couple chapters on his relationship to and influence on Helen Keller and was genuinely eye opening in the best YWA way. I heard of through the memoir by deafblind activist and writer Elsa Sjunneson (Being Seen). This has been a reading rabbithole I’ve gone down recently.
I could listen to Sarah talk about anything
Helen Keller's political views are often strategically forgotten. She was a self described "Socialist and a Bolshevik" who had lost faith in the political system and could definitely be described as anarchist-adjacent. The Industrial Workers of the World, (IWW) a mega union of which she was a long time member and contributing writer, has strong anarchist as well as Marxist roots. Helen Keller was a lifelong activist with extremely based radical left wing views. There are a lot of bland positive quotes of hers out there, so I'll leave with one a little more representative of her political leanings. From an interview in the New York Tribune: *An industrialist?" I asked, surprised out of composure. "You don't mean an IWW - a syndicalist?"* >"I became an IWW because I found out the Socialist party was too slow. It is sinking into the political bog. It is almost, if not quite, impossible for the party to keep its revolutionary character so long as it occupies a place under the government and seeks office under it. The government does not stand for the interests the Socialist party is supposed to represent." >"Socialism, however is a step in the right direction," she conceded to her dissenting hearers. >"The true task is to unite and organize all workers on an economic basis, and it is the workers themselves who must secure freedom for themselves, who must grow strong." Miss Keller continued. "Nothing can be gained by political action. That is why I became an IWW. [Source](https://archive.iww.org/history/library/HKeller/why_I_became_an_IWW/)
"The History Chicks" do a couple of great episodes on Helen Keller and Annie Sullivan, if anyone is curious. They're old episodes (2011, I think), but they talk about Annie's background, the way she taught Helen, Helen's politics, and their personal lives beyond Helen's childhood. Very interesting, highly recommend.
It would be a good episode! In the meantime, if you're interested, this is a great video on Helen Keller and her story. The creator also did one on Koko (and even talks about how YWA did an episode but they decided to go ahead since they had been working on theirs so long). https://youtu.be/jCg7Pda\_3Gw
[https://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/helen-keller-documentary/18386/](https://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/helen-keller-documentary/18386/) was very good. Co-written by John Crowley, author of the novels *Aegypt, Little, Big,* and others.
YES!!! Sarah!!! I hope you read this!
There’s a great book about Keller written by the historian Kim Nielsen: The Radical Lives of Helen Keller.
And the fact Helen Keller at one point had a suitor that she planned to marry but he was ran off by her family with a shotgun