Anne Sullivan (1866

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Biography

Anne Sullivan Macy was an American teacher best known for being the instructor and lifelong companion of Helen Keller. At age five, Sullivan contracted trachoma which left her partially blind and without reading or writing skills. Sullivan received her education as a student of the Perkins School for the Blind. Soon after graduation at age 20, she became a teacher to Keller.

Timeline

The story of Anne Sullivan, told in moments.

1866 Birth

Born Johanna Mansfield Sullivan in Feeding Hills, Massachusetts. Her parents were Irish immigrants. Contracted trachoma at five, which left her nearly blind.

Did going nearly blind at five give you empathy for Helen or just shared experience? Was Feeding Hills a beginning or a trap?

1880 Event

Enrolled at the Perkins School for the Blind at 14 after spending four years in a poorhouse in Tewksbury. Her mother had died, her father had abandoned the family. Two surgeries partially restored her sight.

What was the poorhouse in Tewksbury really like for four years? Did partial sight restoration feel like a miracle or just a new starting point?

1887 Event

Arrived at the Keller home in Tuscumbia, Alabama, to teach 6-year-old Helen. Within a month, she'd spelled W-A-T-E-R into Helen's hand under a water pump. Helen later called it "my soul's sudden awakening."

What was the moment at the water pump actually like? Did you know W-A-T-E-R would change everything? Was Helen's 'soul's sudden awakening' visible to you?

1936 Death

Died at 70 in Forest Hills, New York. She'd been Helen Keller's teacher and companion for 49 years. Keller held her hand as she died.

After forty-nine years with Helen, was your identity ever separate from hers? Did she holding your hand as you died feel like completion?

Artifacts (1)

Helen Keller and Anne Sullivan

1913 · Gelatin silver print

Smithsonian View

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