Helen Keller
Helen Keller was an American author and activist who, despite becoming both deaf and blind as a toddler, became the first deafblind person to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree and a lifelong advocate for people with disabilities.
Keller lost her sight and hearing after an illness at 19 months old. Her breakthrough came at age six when teacher Anne Sullivan taught her to communicate through touch-based finger spelling, famously connecting the word 'water' to the sensation of water flowing over her hand.
Keller went on to graduate from Radcliffe College in 1904, and became a prolific author and public speaker. She traveled internationally advocating for people with disabilities, workers' rights, and women's suffrage.
She co-founded the American Civil Liberties Union and worked with the American Foundation for the Blind for over 40 years, becoming one of the most recognized disability rights advocates of the 20th century.