Angela Kelsey

Celebrating Annie Sullivan

Known as Helen Keller’s teacher, Annie Sullivan (1866-1936) was a marvel in her own right. The National Women’s History Project calls her a “Disability Education Architect.”

The first education for which Sullivan fought was her own, and her persistence through tremendous obstacles inspires me to be the ant who tries again and again to pick up the leaf.

Sullivan said, “Keep on beginning and failing. Each time you fail, start all over again, and you will grow stronger until you have accomplished a purpose–not the one you began with, perhaps, but one you’ll be glad to remember.”