“Although she often put forth an uplifting message, she (Helen Keller) did not shy away from challenging her simple public image and the assumptions held by the audiences who came to see her.” So states M. Leona Godin in an essay recently published in The New York Times. The author suggests that Helen Keller herself would not want those of us remembering her today to stay in her mid-20th Century world, but rather she would be recognizing the progress to which she contributed, realized in such achievements as the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) and the increases in accessibility through technology. Godin explains her own experience as a writer who is visually impaired and references the growing number of writers and other artists, thinkers, creators, and performers with disabilities. She cites the determination and choice, not miracles, that have fostered greater acceptance and inclusion. Read her perspective in Is a Helen Keller Obsession Holding Disabled People Back?
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