Helen Keller, American author, political activist, and lecturer, was the first deaf-blind person to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree. Born in 1880 she fell ill at an early age with an illness, possibly scarlet fever or meningitis, which did not last very long yet unfortunately left her both deaf and blind. When Helen was six years old her mother, having been inspired by an account in Charles Dickens’s 'American Notes' of the successful education of another deaf and blind woman, sought the assistance of the 'Perkins Institute for the Blind' for help in getting Helen to deal with her handicap and receive an education. The Institute asked former student Anne Sullivan, herself visually impaired, to become Keller’s instructor. The Story of My Life is Helen Keller’s autobiography, the tale of a young woman’s struggle to deal with and overcome a great physical handicap.