Up to the age of seven years she had received no
instruction. Her parents engaged Miss Sullivan of the Perkins
Institute for the Blind, South Boston, to go to Alabama as her
teacher. She was familiar with methods of teaching the blind, but
knew nothing about instructing deaf children. Miss Sullivan
called upon Miss Fuller for some instruction on the subject. Miss
Fuller was at that time experimenting with two little deaf girls
to make them speak as hearing children do, and called Miss
Sullivan's attention to it. Miss Sullivan left for her charge,
and from time to time made reports to Dr. Anagnos the principal
of the Perkins School, which mentioned the remarkable mind which
she found this little Alabama child possessed. The following year
Miss Sullivan brought the child, then eight years old, to Boston,
and Mrs. Keller came with her. They visited Miss Fuller's school.
Miss Sullivan had taught the child the manual alphabet, and she
had obtained much information by means of it. Miss Fuller noticed
how quickly she appreciated the ideas given to her in that way.
"It is interesting to note that before any attempt had been made
to teach the child to speak or there had been any thought of it,
her own quickness of thought had suggested it to her as she
talked by hand alphabet to Miss Fuller.
Pages:
829
830
831
832
833
834
835
836
837
838
839
840
841
842
843
844
845
846
847
848
849
850
851
852
853