Anne Part 1

I need a teacher quite as much as Helen. I know the education of this child will be the distinguishing event of my life, if I have the brains and perseverance to accomplish it. —Anne Sullivan

When we think of Anne Sullivan, we think of the woman who gave Helen Keller back her ability to communicate. A woman who led Helen from a world of silence and darkness to a life full of color and opportunity. But where did this woman come from? What was her life like before she met Helen?

Anne Sullivan was born on April 14, 1866, in Massachusetts to Irish immigrants Thomas and Alice Sullivan. She was a healthy child until she was five years old. According to an article from Perkins School for the Blind, “When Anne Sullivan was about five years old, she contracted trachoma, an eye disease caused by bacteria. Trachoma usually begins in childhood and causes repeated, painful infections, making the eyes red and swollen. Over time, the recurring irritation and scarring of the cornea causes severe vision loss.” As if this wasn’t challenging enough, her mother died when she was eight, and her father “found it too difficult to raise a family by himself and soon abandoned his children.” As a result, Anne and her younger brother were sent to live in a poor house in Tewksbury. These homes were notoriously overcrowded and underfunded. To paint a picture, while Anne was there, there were 940 men, women, and children living in the house. Sadly, her little brother died after living there for three months. Anne was alone.

While many would understandably give up in a situation like this, that wasn’t Anne. She was a determined young girl. She learned from other blind residents that there were schools out in the world dedicated to educating the Blind. Anne was determined to do more with her life, and one day, she saw her opportunity. “In 1880, Anne Sullivan learned that a commission was coming to investigate the conditions at Tewksbury Almshouse. On the day of their visit, Sullivan followed them around, waiting for an opportunity to speak. Just as the tour was concluding, she gathered up all of her courage, approached a member of the team of inspectors, and told him that she wanted to go to school. That moment changed her life. On October 7, 1880, Sullivan entered the Perkins Institution.” 

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