Anne Sullivan Macy (1866-1936) was a woman whose brilliance,
passion, and tenacity enabled her to overcome a traumatic past. She became a
model for others disadvantaged by their physical bodies, as well as by gender
or class.
Anne was a pioneer in the field of education. Her work with
Helen Keller became the blueprint for education of children who were blind,
deaf-blind, or visually impaired that still continues today. Samuel L. Clemens
(Mark Twain) dubbed her a "miracle worker." However, Anne's personal
story remains relatively unknown. Although some of her letters still exist, it
is primarily through the eyes of others that we know her. Some time after she
married John Albert Macy in 1905, the young wife burned her private journals
for fear of what her husband might think of her if he should read them.
Similarly, she did not want her correspondence to be kept after her death. But
for historical purposes, materials were retained and the Helen Keller Archives
at the American Foundation for the Blind contain some of her letters, prose,
and verse. Other materials about Anne are located at the Perkins School for the
Blind in Watertown, Massachusetts and the American Antiquarian Society in
Worcester, Massachusetts.
Anne Sullivan Macy was a remarkable woman whose life and
teaching philosophy remain an inspiration to those who educate children who are
visually impaired. In 2003, Anne Sullivan Macy was inducted into the National
Women's Hall of Fame and the American Foundation for the Blind was privileged
to receive a medal in her honor.
By nature she was a conceiver, a trail-blazer, a pilgrim of
life's wholeness. So day by day, month after month, year in and year out, she
labored to provide me with a diction and a voice sufficient for my service to
the blind.
—Helen Keller, writing about Anne Sullivan
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