At nineteen months of age, Helen became ill with what is believed to have been either scarlet fever or meningitis. While the ailment didn’t last long, the results lasted a lifetime; she was left blind and deaf at a time when she was just learning to talk and communicate. She was still able to communicate a bit with six-year-old Martha Washington, the daughter of the family’s cook. Martha understood most of Helen’s signals.

In the years that followed, Helen lived in a world devoid of light and sound. She didn’t know that everything has an identity, a name by which it is called. She couldn’t have known that since she neither heard the names nor saw the items. Had it not been for her deafness, she would have been able to talk. But, it seemed she was destined to a life of dark silence.

Kate Keller read an article in Charles Dickens’ American Notes in 1886 that offered encouragement. The article depicted the education of a deaf and blind child. Kate immediately asked her husband to take Helen to meet Dr. J. Julian Chisolm, an eye, ear, nose and throat specialist in Baltimore. Dr. Chisolm recommended telephone inventor, Alexander Graham Bell who was working with deaf children at that time. Bell recommended that Mr. Keller take young Helen to the Perkins Institute for the Blind, located in South Boston.

Michael Anaganos, the director of the Perkins Institute, notified a twenty-year-old, visually impaired, graduate, Anne Sullivan and asked her if she would be interested in teaching this little girl. Anne said “yes” and the details were worked out.

Anne Sullivan arrived at Ivy Green in Tuscumbia in March of 1887 and started immediately trying to teach Helen. She gave Helen a doll, then using her fingertip, wrote the letters d-o-l-l in the palm of Helen’s hand. Helen had no idea of what the lady was trying to do.

In the weeks that followed, Anne would try to teach her the names of different objects using the same technique. But, always it failed. Helen tired of this activity and frequently threw temper tantrums. Helen didn’t understand who this woman was and why she was allowed to invade her quiet, simple existence.

Anne sympathized with the little girl, but, in order to teach her, discipline was required. Anne pursued her teaching method through many tantrums, but would not walk away from what she felt was an obligation.