Blind, Deaf and Determined

by Mark S. Fulton

When Helen Keller was 7, some of her relatives urged her parents to send her to an insane asylum. A fever had robbed her of sight and hearing when she was 19 months old, imprisoning her in a tomb of darkness and silence. Unable to communicate and confused by a world she couldn’t comprehend, the little girl flew into violent rages—kicking and biting family members and breaking anything she could get her hands on.

Refusing to follow their relatives’ advice, the Kellers hired Annie Sullivan, a 24-year-old, partially blind teacher, who accepted the challenge of tutoring young Helen. Sullivan used a touch-based version of American sign language to teach Keller to communicate.

Once the door to the outside world was opened, Helen Keller’s intelligence came roaring out of the shadows. She grew into a leader who made a lasting impression on millions around the world and whose story continues to inspire more than 30 years after her death.

Today’s business leaders can learn some valuable lessons about pursuing a vision and listening effectively from this woman who could neither see nor hear. And her success as a communicator serves as a example to everyone who strives to impart his or her ideas to the world.

With the aid of Annie Sullivan, Helen Keller gained a perspective on the world that was unhindered by the ability to see. Because she could not view the physical world, Keller was undaunted by the sight of an imposing task that lay before her. She simply forged ahead, determined to surmount ever obstacle on her way to reaching her goal.

For example, when she was 18, Keller announced that she planned to attend a “regular” college. Her friends and family were shocked. Even though Keller had successfully completed her studies at the Perkins School for the Blind in Boston and a college preparatory academy for girls, her mother and nearly all of her acquaintances tried to persuade her to give up her idea of earning a bachelor’s degree. Resolute in her decision, Keller passed the nine-hour entrance exams for Radcliffe College with flying colors. Four years later, in 1904, she graduated cum laude.

What would have happened if Keller could have seen the imposing ivy-covered walls and overwhelming grandeur of the Radcliffe campus or the hundreds of bright-eyed students she would be measured against? Would she have hesitated in her quest? In one sense her blindness shielded her from sights that might have kept her from achieving her vision.

Have you set a goal that seems overwhelming? Are you staring at a daunting array of obstacles that must be negotiated along the way? Take a lesson from Helen Keller and face those obstacles one at a time and refuse to be intimidated by their magnitude or difficulty.

Annie Sullivan provided the key that enabled Keller to enter a world filled with many messages and she became a sponge, absorbing every tidbit of information. But there was a danger. Not all of the messages coming from the world were uplifting and encouraging. In fact, many were downright disheartening. People sought to dissuade Keller from virtually every goal she set for herself. Some even cast doubt on her abilities and integrity.

The board at Radcliffe initially tried to convince Keller to pursue an education on her own. In a letter to the board chairman, Keller wrote, “A soldier does not acknowledge defeat before the battle.” Meanwhile, many people believed that Sullivan, not Keller, was behind Keller’s educational successes. But Keller’s performance on the Radcliffe entrance exams, which were administered without Sullivan’s involvement, quieted the skeptics.

Keller had to learn to remain “deaf” to comments and opinions that would undermine her confidence and sap her courage. Ultimately, she decided to “listen” to the right voices and heed the call of her own spirit.

Well-meaning (and not-so-well-meaning) people can devitalize your drive toward a goal by pointing out all of the reasons your idea won’t work, your aim is too high, your cause is hopeless. Be careful whom you listen to. Learn how to use selective deafness to your advantage. Test the messages of others to see if they resonate with what you know to be true about yourself. If they don’t, tune them out.

Helen Keller became an activist on behalf of many causes. Her deep spiritual inclinations led her to focus on humanitarian concerns. “Life is ... most exciting when lived for others,” she wrote in one of her two well-received books. She traveled the world with Sullivan at her side, encouraging the disabled to rise above their limitations.

Keller became an tireless advocate for the blind. Her relentless appearances before Congress led to the creation of a national system of libraries for the blind under the direction of the Library of Congress. A true role model, she exemplified what she espoused, which infused her message with credibility.

While you may have many opinions on many subjects, your greatest opportunity to connect with an audience is to speak with authority grounded in experience. Communicate boldly and allow your listeners to hear the passion that fuels your point of view.

Helen Keller developed the ability to “see” her goals on her terms, to “hear” only that which empowered her and to communicate with the authority and credibility that comes with experience. We would do well to follow her example.

Copyright 2000 © Mark S. Fulton