Helen Keller | 海倫．凱勒

 Although the world is full of suffering, it is full also of the overcoming of it. — Helen Keller
雖然這個世界充滿苦難，但是也充滿解決克服的方法。──海倫．凱勒

 In Hong Kong, a blind and hearing impaired Hong Kong student attained very good results in the Diploma of Secondary Education Examination（中學文憑考試）. Because of a lack of sensitivity in her fingers, she reads Braille with her lips. She has been accepted by the Chinese University of Hong Kong（香港中文大學）to study translation. Her story is as inspiring as Helen Keller’s.
About a century ago, Helen Keller（1880-1968）was the first deafblind person to receive a Bachelor of Arts degree（文學士學位）. She was born in the USA. When she was 19 months old, she was seriously ill and became blind and deaf. Imagine yourself to be Helen Keller, what would you do if you were hungry and wanted some food? Helen made up about 60 different signs with her hands to express herself. However, as she could not talk, she became very angry and frustrated.
By the time Helen was seven, her parents realized that she needed special help. So they hired a tutor called Anne Sullivan. Anne had been blind but had an operation and restored some of her eyesight. She understood what Helen was feeling.
Anne was caring, patient and strict. As Helen was unruly, first Anne taught her how to behave. Then she taught her how to spell things with her hands and to read. Eventually, Helen could read books in Braille.
When Helen was ten, she learned to speak by feeling her teacher’s lips and throat when she talked. Bright and determined, Helen attended college. Anne went with her and signed the lectures into her hand. The story of Anne and Helen later became a famous film called the “Miracle Worker”.
Helen loved writing. She wrote a total of 12 books. The most famous one is her autobiography, “The Story of My Life”. As she wanted to help people with disabilities, she travelled around the world and gave speeches to raise money for them. She also campaigned for women’s right to vote and labour rights.


 Hearing impaired: 弱聽
Braille: 點字法
Deafblind: 失聰失明
Signs: 手語
Autobiography: 自傳
Disabilities: 殘疾
Women's right to vote: 婦女投票權利
Labour rights: 勞工權利