Helen Keller Day 2023: Learn more about the inspirational life of Helen Keller

Every year, June 27 is observed as Helen Keller Day in the United States. The day marks the birth anniversary of Helen Keller and was created by a presidential proclamation in 2006. Apart from this, many international organizations, especially those helping the blind and the deaf also recognize this day. For more information such as the history, importance, celebration, etc of Helen Keller Day 2023, keep reading this article. You will also find interesting details about Helen Keller and her life achievements.

Helen Keller Day 2023 Overview

Helen Keller Day 2023 Date

Below mentioned are the upcoming dates for Helen Keller Day for the upcoming 5 years.

Who was Helen Keller?

Helen Adams Keller, born in Alabama, US, was an author, lecturer, disability rights advocate, and political activist. At the age of mere 19 months, she lost her sight and hearing ability after suffering from an unknown illness. She communicated primarily using home signs until the age of seven. Keller then met her teacher and life-long companion Anne Sullivan who taught her language, reading, and writing. After getting proper education at school, Keller attended Radcliffe College of Harvard University and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree. With this, she became the first deaf-blind person to hold a BA degree in the United States. In 1915, she founded Helen Keller International and was also a founder of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). Helen was named one of the 100 Most Important People of the 20th Century by Time magazine.

History of Helen Keller Day

Helen Keller Day was first proclaimed on March 27, 1980, by Leo P. Carlin, the-then mayor of New Jersey. On June 19 of the same year, US President Jimmy Carter issued Proclamation #4767 to honor Keller and her accomplishment and created Helen Keller Day to be observed on her birth anniversary June 27. Since then, the holiday is observed all over the US and also by the Blind Association and other international private organizations.

Check other important days in June

How to celebrate Helen Keller Day 2023?

Every year on the occasion of Helen Keller Day, an annual fashion show is held in Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania to help raise funds for disabled people. Other events and activities are also organized to teach people about the life and struggles of Helen Keller and how she overcame everything with her willpower. You can learn more about Keller by reading her autobiography “The Story of My Life” or even watch movies based on her life. Find out organizations helping the deaf and blind people and make contributions to help with their education and employment. You can also visit Helen’s birthplace which has been preserved as a National Historic Landmark and operated as a house museum.

Interesting Facts about Helen Keller

Here are some interesting facts about Helen Keller that not many people know.

1. Keller was friends with Mark Twain, Alexander Graham Bell, and Franklin D. Roosevelt.
2. She was nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize in 1953.
3. During her lifetime Helen traveled all over the world, visiting 39 countries
4. She wrote a total of 12 published books and numerous other articles.
5. Because of her extreme left views, Helen was once investigated by the FBI.
6. When Helen was 36 years old she fell in love with her secretary Peter Fagan.
7. Helen remained close to her teacher Anne for 49 years and only separated after she died in 1936.
8. Helen Keller’s image with Braille is on US currency.
9. The first Akita dog in the United States was sent to Helen from Japan in 1938.
10. She was one of twelve inaugural inductees to the Alabama Writers Hall of Fame.

Famous Quotes by Helen Keller

Check out some inspirational quotes given by Helen Keller:

• “Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement; nothing can be done without hope.”
• “Keep your face to the sunshine and you cannot see the shadows.”
• “The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched. They must be felt with the heart.”
• “Although the world is full of suffering, it is full also of the overcoming of it.”
• “What I’m looking for is not out there, it is in me.”

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