Before You Read

This archive video footage from 1928 features one of the only recorded exchanges existing between teacher Anne Sullivan and author Helen Keller. Sullivan recounts Keller’s experiences as a blind, deaf, and mute child and the limited modes of communication available at the beginning of their relationship. Keller eventually developed new ways of communicating ideas and emotions through Sullivan’s practices of allowing Keller to touch her face and “feel the vibrations of the spoken word.” This was Helen Keller’s first step towards becoming one of the most important American authors of the 20th century and an important figure in the education of those with disabilities.

Introduction by the editors

How Helen Keller Learned To Talk

Watch the video How Helen Keller Learned To Talk.

How Helen Keller Learned to Talk is licensed under Public Domain: No Known Copyright

Sullivan, Anne. “How Hellen Keller Learned to Talk.” The Commons: Tools for Reading, Writing, and Rhetoric (2nd ed.), edited by Jill Parrott and Dominic Ashby, Eastern Kentucky University, 2026.