Latest news with #AnneSullivan
Yahoo
03-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Helen Keller's Family, Companions, & the Life They Built Together
As a disabled social activist and suffragette, Helen Keller is a household name. But her life story doesn't begin and end with her work. Let's take a deeper look into her early life, her evolving relationships with family, mentors, and friends, as well as the ways in which her disability shaped her experiences and informed the legacy we still engage with today. Helen Keller was born in Tuscumbia, Alabama, in 1880. She developed a brain fever at just 19 months old — later speculated to be either meningitis or scarlet fever — which left her deaf and blind. Losing both her sight and hearing at such a young age proved challenging, as you'd expect. Without easy access to occupational therapy or specialized schools, as many disabled children have today, Helen had to adapt to her environment on her own. She worked to feel and smell her world through her remaining senses. Many families with nonverbal or disabled children know how that lack of communication can be extremely frustrating for them and often lead to tantrums. Helen Keller was no different, throwing things and eating from others' plates to get her way. It's a common misconception that her famed tutor, Anne Sullivan, swooped in to save the day. Yet, Helen did use a primitive communication technique before ever coming into contact with Anne. She used a simple sign language that consisted of 60 signs with her family members and her companion, Martha Washington, who was the child of her family's cook. In addition to her friend Martha, Helen's dog Belle, an old setter, was also a constant companion to her. She enjoyed Belle's presence, excitement, and overall calm manner. Given her disabilities, Helen didn't lead a stereotypical adulthood. She and Anne Sullivan bought a home together in Wrentham, Massachusetts. Though Anne later married John A. Macy in 1905, Helen continued to live with the couple even into her 30s. Macy, an editor of Keller's autobiography, was also a great friend of Helen's. Both joined the Socialist Party (Helen in 1909), with Helen later becoming a suffragist. Helen seemed happy in the Macy's home, and John devised a system for her to be able to take regular walks. However, the marriage didn't last. While the two never formally divorced, John and Anne parted ways in 1914 and became estranged. Meanwhile, Helen continued staying with Anne. Incredibly, Helen's fight for social rights didn't end with the Suffragist Movement. She was a devout humanitarian and even co-founded the American Civil Liberties Union. She was also active in raising awareness and encouraging support for the blind. Additionally, Helen published four books about her life, one on religion, one on social problems, and a biography of Anne Sullivan. Probably one of the most notable of her accomplishments is that at the age of 75, she did a five-month, 40,000-mile trek across Asia. Helen Keller gradauted cum laude from Radcliffe College with a Bachelor of Arts in 1904. Related: Despite her achievements and triumphs, Helen Keller wasn't a monolith. She had people who loved and supported her, just as you do! We all have people who touch us along the way, and these are some of the important people to pop up in Helen's life. Helen was Arthur and Kate Keller's first child. After serving in the Confederate Army, her father became an editor for the North Alabamian. His first marriage to Sarah E. Rosser left him a widower, though he later married Kate Adams in 1877. Helen had a loving relationship with her parents, who sought to find the best care they could for her. Helen Keller was a distant cousin of Confederate General, Robert E. Lee, through her father's line. Helen was far from an only child, having a younger sister named Mildred and two stepbrothers, Simpson and James. While Helen struggled to adapt in an environment not well-suited for her needs with family who didn't know how to help, James is believed to have had a firmer hand with Helen than most. Helen also had a younger brother, Phillips, whom she helped name. While Helen didn't mention her brothers much in her writings, she did discuss walking hand-in-hand with her sister and attempting to talk to her with her primitive language. Once Helen learned to speak, Mildred became a close confidant. In 1886, Helen's mother contacted Alexander Graham Bell, who was working on a hearing device for the deaf. He led them to the Perkins Institute for the Blind in Boston, where Anne Sullivan was studying. With a visual impairment herself, Anne was a star student at Perkins Institute and traveled to Alabama to work with Helen. Through their hard work, Helen learned to use sign language and read braille by the time she was 10 years old! Helen also wanted to learn how to speak, so Anne took her to the Horace Mann School for the Deaf in Boston. After having eleven lessons there, Anne took over her instruction, and Helen eventually learned to speak. Unsurprisingly, the two remained close until Anne's death in 1936. Helen Keller never married or had children, not that she didn't try. At 36, she and Peter Fagan applied for a marriage license that was never fulfilled. When Anne became ill, Peter, a 29-year-old reporter, became Helen's temporary secretary. During this time, the two grew close and made plans to marry. However, Helen's family was against the match, believing in the unfortunately common idea at the time that marriage and motherhood were not options for a disabled woman like her. The two planned to elope nonetheless, but Peter never came. Helen later said of the relationship, "His love was a bright sun that shone upon my helplessness and isolation." After the failed elopement, Helen never saw Peter again. Polly Thomson was another companion in Helen's adult life. A housekeeper from Scotland who eventually became Keller's secretary, she worked with both Anne and Helen. After Anne was no longer able to travel with Helen due to her declining health, Polly became Helen's best-known companion. Polly took Anne's place after her death and remained by Helen's side until her own death in 1960. Helen Keller was dealt a difficult hand as a young child, but she took advantage of every opportunity that came her way. Leaning on the friends and family around her, she fought for social and human rights, sought to increase her education at every turn, and lived a rich life right up to the end. And it's this triumphant story that's led to the even richer legacy we revere today.
Boston Globe
05-04-2025
- General
- Boston Globe
Today in History: April 5, FDR establishes Civilian Conservation Corps
In 1764, the British Parliament passed the American Revenue Act of 1764, also known as the Sugar Act. In 1887, in Tuscumbia, Ala., teacher Anne Sullivan achieved a breakthrough as her 6-year-old deaf-blind pupil, Helen Keller, learned the meaning of the word 'water' as spelled out in the Manual Alphabet. In 1933, as part of his New Deal programs, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed an executive order establishing the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), a Depression-era work relief program for single men aged 18-25. The program employed more than 2.5 million men for federal conservation and safety projects over its nine-year history. Advertisement In 1951, Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were sentenced to death following their conviction in New York on charges of conspiring to commit espionage for the Soviet Union. (They were executed in June 1953.) In 1986, two American servicemen and a Turkish woman were killed in the bombing of a West Berlin discotheque, an incident that prompted a US air raid on Libya nine days later. Advertisement In 1991, former Republican Senator John Tower of Texas, his daughter Marian, and 21 other people were killed in a commuter plane crash near Brunswick, Ga. In 1994, Nirvana lead singer Kurt Cobain died by suicide in his Seattle, Wash., home at age 27. In 2010, a coal dust explosion at the Upper Big Branch mine near Charleston, killed 29 workers.
The Independent
20-03-2025
- Health
- The Independent
No 10: ‘Common sense' for public services to have data on biological sex
It is 'common sense' for public services to have accurate information on biological sex, especially when it comes to healthcare, Downing Street has said. The Health Secretary has already said he will act on the findings of an independent review that warned against conflating sex with gender identity when recording data. Individuals have been able to change their gender marker on their NHS records while crime statistics have recorded some people's preferred gender rather than their actual sex, according to Professor Anne Sullivan, who led the review commissioned by the previous government. The report said a trend had emerged to ask about sex and gender in a single question, and that they are 'distinct concepts' that should not be conflated or combined. No 10 said that while gender should be recognised in some circumstances, the importance of biological sex when it comes to healthcare is 'common sense'. 'It's absolutely vital that public services across the board have got the right and accurate information and data when it comes to this topic, and this is particularly important when it comes to biological sex, for example (in) healthcare. I mean, it's just common sense,' the Prime Minister's official spokesman said. He said there is 'existing guidance across the board' but the Prime Minister will look at specific concerns the report raised and follow up. He stopped short of confirming that all public officials should be required to list biological sex in their data entry, saying there is 'different guidance issued to different sectors'. He said it had been the Government's longstanding position that biological sex is vital to healthcare, in line with the Cass Review into gender identity services. Civil servants are already taking action to make sure the right guidance is in place, he said. Health Secretary Wes Streeting earlier said that having accurate data on biological sex is key for patient safety. 'The Sullivan Review underlines the importance of recording biological sex – not just for research and insight, but also patient safety,' he posted on X, formerly Twitter. 'Doing so does not prevent us from recording, recognising and respecting people's gender identity where these differ. We'll act on findings.' Accurate data is especially important for preventative screening for cancer, a minister said earlier, while the Government said the report has been shared with the Office for National Statistics (ONS) and other departments. The report urged public bodies to collect data on both sex and gender identity to ensure that nationally-held data is accurate. It recommended the Home Secretary orders police forces to record data on sex in their systems and stop allowing changes to be made to individual sex markers on the police national computer. It also says new NHS numbers and changed gender markers should no longer be issued to individuals. Doing so means data on sex could be 'lost', putting people at risk when it comes to clinical care, screening and safeguarding, as well as making it impossible to carry out research into gender transition over the course of people's lives. It flags a safeguarding risk to children in particular and urges the practice be suspended 'as a matter of urgency'. The Home Secretary is looking into the recommendation on data in police forces 'to make sure that we're keeping the public safe', defence minister Luke Pollard told LBC. He also stressed the need for accurate public health data to have the 'right prevention in health activities' and said the Government would look to the report in its work to prevent cancers, in remarks to Times Radio. 'What is important is that we recognise that the accurate collection of data is vital, not just for the public health component, which much of this report, I believe, majors on, but across government.' Prof Sullivan said there is no reason for a 'trade-off' between recording data on sex and gender. She told BBC Radio 4's Today programme there has been 'a confusion between sex and transgender and gender diverse identities', and attempts to 'merge these two things into one variable'. Ms Sullivan said: 'It's this confusion around the word 'gender', which I think everybody used to recognise as simply a synonym for 'sex', and it's become something else – it's become a way of recording gender diverse identities. 'What I've argued in this report is that sex is really important, we should be recording it by default – transgender and gender diverse identities can also be recorded where that's appropriate. 'There's no reason to see this as a trade-off between the two. They're two distinct variables.' She urged the Government to implement the recommendations 'across the board'. 'We can't just do it piece by piece, because this is everywhere. 'I've recommended that data on sex should be collected by default in all research and data collection commissioned by Government and quasi-governmental organisations, and I think implementing that would make a huge difference. 'I think we need leadership, because people are confused and they're anxious. 'This is not a partisan issue and it's very damaging when it starts to be seen as a partisan issue – it's a basic common sense issue, not a left-right issue.' A Government spokesperson said: 'This Government is clear that the collection of accurate and relevant data is vital in research and the operation of effective public services, particularly when it comes to sex. 'We are grateful to Professor Sullivan for her work, which has been shared with relevant Government departments and public organisations, including the ONS.'
Yahoo
20-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
No 10: ‘Common sense' for public services to have data on biological sex
It is 'common sense' for public services to have accurate information on biological sex, especially when it comes to healthcare, Downing Street has said. The Health Secretary has already said he will act on the findings of an independent review that warned against conflating sex with gender identity when recording data. Individuals have been able to change their gender marker on their NHS records while crime statistics have recorded some people's preferred gender rather than their actual sex, according to Professor Anne Sullivan, who led the review commissioned by the previous government. The report said a trend had emerged to ask about sex and gender in a single question, and that they are 'distinct concepts' that should not be conflated or combined. No 10 said that while gender should be recognised in some circumstances, the importance of biological sex when it comes to healthcare is 'common sense'. 'It's absolutely vital that public services across the board have got the right and accurate information and data when it comes to this topic, and this is particularly important when it comes to biological sex, for example (in) healthcare. I mean, it's just common sense,' the Prime Minister's official spokesman said. He said there is 'existing guidance across the board' but the Prime Minister will look at specific concerns the report raised and follow up. He stopped short of confirming that all public officials should be required to list biological sex in their data entry, saying there is 'different guidance issued to different sectors'. He said it had been the Government's longstanding position that biological sex is vital to healthcare, in line with the Cass Review into gender identity services. Civil servants are already taking action to make sure the right guidance is in place, he said. Health Secretary Wes Streeting earlier said that having accurate data on biological sex is key for patient safety. 'The Sullivan Review underlines the importance of recording biological sex – not just for research and insight, but also patient safety,' he posted on X, formerly Twitter. 'Doing so does not prevent us from recording, recognising and respecting people's gender identity where these differ. We'll act on findings.' Accurate data is especially important for preventative screening for cancer, a minister said earlier, while the Government said the report has been shared with the Office for National Statistics (ONS) and other departments. The report urged public bodies to collect data on both sex and gender identity to ensure that nationally-held data is accurate. It recommended the Home Secretary orders police forces to record data on sex in their systems and stop allowing changes to be made to individual sex markers on the police national computer. It also says new NHS numbers and changed gender markers should no longer be issued to individuals. Doing so means data on sex could be 'lost', putting people at risk when it comes to clinical care, screening and safeguarding, as well as making it impossible to carry out research into gender transition over the course of people's lives. It flags a safeguarding risk to children in particular and urges the practice be suspended 'as a matter of urgency'. The Home Secretary is looking into the recommendation on data in police forces 'to make sure that we're keeping the public safe', defence minister Luke Pollard told LBC. He also stressed the need for accurate public health data to have the 'right prevention in health activities' and said the Government would look to the report in its work to prevent cancers, in remarks to Times Radio. 'What is important is that we recognise that the accurate collection of data is vital, not just for the public health component, which much of this report, I believe, majors on, but across government.' Prof Sullivan said there is no reason for a 'trade-off' between recording data on sex and gender. She told BBC Radio 4's Today programme there has been 'a confusion between sex and transgender and gender diverse identities', and attempts to 'merge these two things into one variable'. Ms Sullivan said: 'It's this confusion around the word 'gender', which I think everybody used to recognise as simply a synonym for 'sex', and it's become something else – it's become a way of recording gender diverse identities. 'What I've argued in this report is that sex is really important, we should be recording it by default – transgender and gender diverse identities can also be recorded where that's appropriate. 'There's no reason to see this as a trade-off between the two. They're two distinct variables.' She urged the Government to implement the recommendations 'across the board'. 'We can't just do it piece by piece, because this is everywhere. 'I've recommended that data on sex should be collected by default in all research and data collection commissioned by Government and quasi-governmental organisations, and I think implementing that would make a huge difference. 'I think we need leadership, because people are confused and they're anxious. 'This is not a partisan issue and it's very damaging when it starts to be seen as a partisan issue – it's a basic common sense issue, not a left-right issue.' A Government spokesperson said: 'This Government is clear that the collection of accurate and relevant data is vital in research and the operation of effective public services, particularly when it comes to sex. 'We are grateful to Professor Sullivan for her work, which has been shared with relevant Government departments and public organisations, including the ONS.'
