“At the age of 19 months, Helen became deaf and blind as a result of an unknown illness, perhaps rubella or scarlet fever.  With the help of Anne Sullivan (her teacher) she made Helen learn to read & talk.  She made the signals have meaning in Helen’s mind.   Helen made it to a BSN, just as much her’s as Anne Sullivan’s. Helen’s ideals found their purest, most lasting expression in her work for the American Foundation for the Blind (AFB). Helen joined AFB in 1924 and worked for the organization for over 40 years. The foundation provided her with a global platform to advocate for the needs of people with vision loss and she wasted no opportunity. She met with world leaders such as Winston Churchill, Jawaharlal Nehru, and Golda Meir. In 1948, she was sent to Japan as America’s first Goodwill Ambassador by General Douglas MacArthur. Her visit was a huge success; up to two million Japanese came out to see her and her appearance drew considerable attention to the plight of Japan’s blind and disabled population. Wherever she traveled, she brought encouragement to millions of blind people, and many of the efforts to improve conditions for those with vision loss outside the United States can be traced directly to her visits.”

American Foundation for the Blind – AFB