ANNE SULLIVAN

EARLY LIFE

• Anne Sullivan was born on April 14, 1866 in Massachusetts.
• She was the oldest child. When she was 5 years old she got a disease called trachoma.
• The disease made her nearly blind. When she was eight, her mother died.
• Her father abandoned her because he didn't know how to raise his kids on his own.
• Anne was then sent to Tewksbury, Massachusetts.

EDUCATION

• Anne had no skills in reading, writing, or sewing.
• The only work she could find was as a maid, but it didn't work out.
• Anne convinced an inspector to allow her to leave.
• Soon she began her studies on October 7.
• She worked for the Perkins School for the Blind in Boston.

CAREER

• The director of the Perkins Institution was Michael Anagnos.
• He was in search of a teacher for a 7-year-old blind and deaf girl, named Helen.
• He sent Anne and when she arrived she quickly connected with Helen.
• It was a 49-year relationship and Helen learned a lot from Anne.
• Helen learned 575 words, some multiplication tables, and the Braille system.

PERSONAL LIFE

• On May 3, 1905, Anne married Harvard University instructor, John Albert Macy.
• John Albert Macy was also a literacy critic.
• However, within a few years, the marriage began to break apart.
• By 1914 they separated.
• They never officially divorced, but Anne never remarried.

AWARDS

• In 1932, Helen and Anne were each awarded awards.
• An award from the Educational Institute of Scotland.
• Also they were awarded degrees from Temple University.
• In 1955, Anne was awarded a degree from Harvard University.
• Anne was honored greatly.

DEATH

• Anne had been seriously visually impaired for almost her whole life.
• But by 1935 she was completely blind in both eyes.
• On October 15, 1936 Anne fell into a coma and then died five days later.
• She died on October 20 at the age of 70, in Forest Hills, New York.
• She died with Helen holding her hand.

"Anne Sullivan." - Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Jan. 2015.