The story of Anne Sullivan's efforts to teach Helen Keller, a young Victorian-era blind and deaf girl, how to communicate is so well-known, it's taken on an almost legendary quality.
Helen had grown up in a family that had no clue how to communicate with her, much less raise her to be self-sufficient and a part of society. Signing was limited to a few gestures the Kellers developed for Helen at home, and at dinner she notoriously walked from family member to family member, using her bare hands to grab food from each plate.
