Helen Keller was born in Tuscumbia, Alabama, on June 27, 1880. She suffered a serious illness at the age of nineteen months that left her blind and deaf. While Keller initially devised gestures and actions to make herself understood, she knew that she was not like other children. Still, she learned to perform household chores such as folding laundry and tried to remain as much a part of the family as possible. Over the years, however, her frustration at not being understood made her angry and hostile, and she often erupted into uncontrolled fits.

Keller's parents realized that she needed special teaching but were unsure where to find it. When Keller was six years old, her parents took her to see Alexander Graham Bell, who recommended that they contact the Perkins Institute for the Blind. They did, and Anne Sullivan was sent to teach Keller how to communicate...