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"Is not it a shame for this great, prosperous and resourceful country that thousands of" Children grow up in conditions that hinder their normal development? , humiliate the ardor of youth and extinguish the fire of aspiration in their young hearts?
Thousands of boys and girls – the most valuable treasure in the nation – live in overcrowded homes with bare walls, cheap and ugly furniture. and coarse and neglected food, wear worn clothes, play in alleys and gutters, always exposed to destructive influences of the soul. "
– Helen Keller, writing in a fundraising letter of 1923 on behalf of the National Playground and Recreation Association of America
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This letter, which Keller wrote on a typewriter in Braille, is part of the Helen Keller Archive that was launched last month by the Blind Foundation of the United States, a collection that includes more than 160,000 artifacts about Keller and his extraordinary life. "The Archive" is the first in his to be fully accessible to blind, deaf, hard of hearing, visually impaired and hearing-impaired people, "said the foundation in a statement
one of the largest collections of content on the life and work of Keller, who became one of the most famous advocates for children and people with disabilities.Keller, who was "a feminist, suffragette, social activist and pacifist, as well as a prolific writer." eu and a published author, "has worked for the American Foundation for the Blind for 44 years.
Keller was born a healthy child. with sight and hearing in Tuscumbia, Alabama, June 27, 1880, according to the foundation. She was 19 months old when she lost her sight and hearing after suffering from an "unknown disease, perhaps rubella or scarlet fever," says the foundation. But on March 3, 1887, she met Anne Mansfield Sullivan, a teacher who was going to change her life by teaching her to read and write.
"While fresh water gushed out with one hand, she spelled out the other hand.At all in all, the signals made sense in the spirit of the world. Helen: She knew that "the water" meant that the wonderful cool substance was running down her hand, and by night she had learned 30 words. "
The foundation notes that Keller quickly learned about Whole alphabet, "both manual and in relief for blind readers, and acquired the ease of reading and writing."
from Radcliffe University in 1904, Keller published his autobiography, "The Story of My Life", which had been published in Ladies' magazine Home Journal.
Mark Twain said: "The two most interesting characters of the 19th century are Napoleon and Helen Keller"
When she passed away on June 1, 1968, at the age of 87, she bequeathed all his belongings to the American Foundation for the Blind. "Because of their fragility, many of these objects were inaccessible to the public until now," said the foundation in a statement
Archives contain copies of more than 475 speeches and essays written by Keller. "Despite his notoriety, relatively few people know that Helen Keller has written 14 books as well as hundreds of essays and articles on a wide range of topics ranging from animals and atomic energy to Mahatma Gandhi, "said the foundation, has always been a staunch advocate for children's rights," said Helen Selsdon, archivist of the American Foundation for the blind
In his life, Keller more than 39 countries, where she has often done advocacy work. "The archives contain images of her meeting with children from orphanages, her interventions in schools for students with disabilities and her contacts with agencies that have helped poor children. The needs of children were always paramount in her work. diplomatic visits.
In a letter of May 28, 1918 asking for help for children in orphanages in France, Keller writes:
"I implore you, open your ears to the cry of the little orphans of France and give all you can to help them …
"Remember that you were once children, happy in the midst of peace and love. Think of the children who smile with confidence on your face and give free to the unfortunate children there. Think how little they are to have the hand of sadness so heavily on them!
"What a short time they will be children, and how little joy there will be in their childhood without your help!"
"That's" Selsdon explained that, for visually impaired visitors, a computer can read documents. "She creates an initial transcript of thousands of papers, receipts, letters from Helen Keller" , she said
"If you are blind, visually impaired, hard of hearing and deaf / blind, it is sensational.The interface is accessible.We have thoroughly tested the site to make it user friendly" , Selsdon said
There is also a massive effort of volunteers to correct the errors generated by the computer and transcribe the handwritten documents.who are blind and deaf and want to access cinematic sequences, the archives contain Video Descriptions and Subtitling.
"People are stunned at the breadth of one's life," said Selsdon.Keller appeared before state legislators and on Capitol Hill and demanded rehabilitative services and schools for blind children, she said.
"I have a senator's correspondence saying that the laws have been changed.It has done the same thing on a global scale," Selsdon said.
Keller received a Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Lyndon Johnson. "She has a correspondence of nine American presidents, Alexander Bell, Mark Twain and Andrew Carnegie."
The collection aims to answer as many questions as possible about Keller and his life. "People are asking me what food they like," said Selsdon. "She loved hot dogs, she wrote a lot about martinis, she was a big drunk, she was full of life, she was not a calm woman, she was neither a child of the day." Water, nor a holy old woman. 19659074]
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