Submitted by: Submitted by pinot
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Date Submitted: 05/20/2016 05:33 PM
Early Life
Anne was born April 14, 1866 in Feeding Hills in
Massachusetts. Anne’s real name is actually
Johanna Mansfield Sullivan. She was just called
Anne or Annie since she was born. Anne was the
oldest child of Alice Sullivan and Thomas Sullivan.
Anne’s siblings were James Sullivan, Mary
Sullivan, and Ellen Sullivan. Mary and Ellen died
when they were babies. By 7 years old Anne got
Trachoma which left her almost blind. It’s sad
because at 8 years old Anne’s mother died. A few
years later Anne’s abusive father left her and James
because he was afraid he could not raise them on
his own. So, Anne and James were sent to a
almshouse in Tewksbury . An almshouse is a place
for the poor. James had died within a few months
of moving there. When she was there Anne had
heard about special schools for the blind and deaf.
She was determined to go to one to get out of
poverty. Then one day a group from a special
commission visited the almshouse. After following
the group around all day, Anne finally asked them
about sending her to a special school.
Education
Anne attended Perkins School for the Blind at age
14 in 1880. She also had a surgery in 1880 to help
improve her vision. But Anne did have some
challenges at Perkins. Since she had never been to
school before, she was humiliated by her ignorance.
Anne had a temper and liked to challenge the rules,
so that got her in trouble with some of her
teachers. Anne did eventually settle down one day,
but she still felt like she didn’t fit in. But, Anne
soon academically advanced. She had developed a
friendship with the school’s director. Anne was the
valedictorian of her class and delivered her speech
in her graduation in June 1886.
Career
The school’s director helped Anne find a job after
she had graduated. The Keller family had sent him
a letter saying that they wanted somebody to help
their daughter Helen who was blind, deaf, and
mute. So in March 1887 Anne traveled...