A little reason to celebrate
Helen Keller Day
History ยท June 27
Helen Keller Day remembers the American author and speaker who was deaf and blind, and the teacher who helped her learn to communicate.
Helen Keller Day falls on Sunday, June 27, 2027. That is 243 days away.
Helen Keller was an American writer and lecturer who lost her sight and hearing as a small child, after an illness. She went on to read, write, earn a college degree and speak to audiences around the world.
The story most people know starts at a water pump. Her teacher, Anne Sullivan, spelled the word for water into one of Helen's hands while cool water ran over the other. Helen understood that the shapes pressed into her palm stood for things, and she wanted the names of everything. Many people first meet this scene in school, through the play and film The Miracle Worker.
The rest of her life is less often told. She graduated from Radcliffe College, wrote several books including The Story of My Life, and spent decades traveling and lecturing. She learned to read braille and to follow speech by resting her fingers on a speaker's lips and throat.
People mark the day mostly by reading. Her autobiography is short and clear, and it holds up. Libraries and schools sometimes use the day to talk about braille, sign language and the tools that let deaf and blind people read, work and get around.
The pump at her childhood home, Ivy Green in Tuscumbia, Alabama, is still there.
Ways to celebrate
- Read a chapter of The Story of My Life.
- Look up the braille alphabet and spell your name.
- Watch The Miracle Worker with family or friends.
- Learn to fingerspell a few words in the manual alphabet.
- Borrow a library book about Anne Sullivan.
Dates
| Year | Date |
|---|---|
| 2026 | Saturday, June 27 |
| 2027 | Sunday, June 27 |
| 2028 | Tuesday, June 27 |
| 2029 | Wednesday, June 27 |
| 2030 | Thursday, June 27 |
Also on June 27
Categories: History days