Helen Adams Keller (1880-1968) was an American author, political activist, and lecturer. She was the first deaf and blind person to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree. The story of how Keller’s teacher, Anne Sullivan (1866-1936), broke through the isolation imposed by a near complete lack of language, allowing the girl to blossom as she learned to communicate, has become widely known through the dramatic depictions of the play and film, The Miracle Worker.