Helen Keller - The Turning Point

If you have ever seen the movie or the stage play The Miracle Worker, you are familiar with the scene of Anne Sullivan holding Helen's hand under the water pump, and spelling out the word 'w-a-t-e-r' as it flowed over her hands.  Until this point Helen had learned to spell  'd-o-l-l'  but it had no literal meaning for her in her own mind.

On this day "Teacher," as Helen called her, drew water from the pump and put Helen's hand under the spout. At the same time, she spelled into Helen's other hand the word "w-a-t-e-r" repeatedly. The realization came to Helen that the word being spelled was the cool liquid she felt in her hand. At that point Helen touched the ground, wanting to spell its name. By the end of the day  Helen had learned thirty words.

Photo: The Miracle Worker (1962) Playfilms Productions
Biographical information: http://www.biography.com/


"It is a terrible thing to see and have no vision" -- Helen Keller

More to come...