AFB Launches Accessible Helen Keller Digital Archive
Author: American Foundation for the Blind (AFB)
Published: 13 Jun 2018 - Updated: 26 Jun 2026
Publication Type: Announcement
Contents: Synopsis - Definition - Introduction - Main - Insights, Updates - Related Publications
Synopsis: This report covers the American Foundation for the Blind (AFB) launch of the Helen Keller Archive, the world's first fully accessible digital archive dedicated to the life of the author, political activist, and humanitarian. Drawn from the materials Keller bequeathed to AFB, where she worked for 44 years, the collection brings together more than 160,000 artifacts that were previously difficult to access due to their fragility, and it is built to serve blind, deaf, hard-of-hearing, low vision, and deafblind audiences alongside scholars, educators, and the general public. The project carries weight because it was produced by the organization that holds the original collection and was supported by the National Endowment for the Humanities and American Express, making it a reliable primary source on disability history and on Keller's wider role in shaping public attitudes.*
At a Glance
- 1 - Keller bequeathed her belongings to AFB to create the Archive
- 2 - The collection is the largest repository of historical content about Helen Keller
- 3 - It holds letters, speeches, press clippings, scrapbooks, photographs, and audio-visual materials
- Topic Definition: Helen Keller Archive
The Helen Keller Archive is a fully accessible online collection maintained by the American Foundation for the Blind that gathers and digitizes the personal and professional records of Helen Keller, the author, lecturer, and disability advocate. Drawn from the materials Keller left to AFB, it brings together correspondence, speeches, photographs, scrapbooks, press clippings, and audio-visual items into a single searchable repository, and it is designed so that blind, low vision, deaf, hard-of-hearing, and deafblind users can access the same content as sighted users. As the largest body of historical material about Keller, the Archive functions as a primary source for researchers, students, and anyone studying her life or the broader history of disability rights.
Introduction
More than 160,000 artifacts can now be viewed in a groundbreaking, fully accessible online archive thanks to support from the National Endowment for the Humanities and American Express.
The American Foundation for the Blind (AFB) has announced the launch of the Helen Keller Archive, the world's first fully accessible digital archive collection, comprising more than 160,000 artifacts, dedicated to the fascinating life of Helen Keller.
Main Content
The Helen Keller Archive is the largest repository of historical content about Helen Keller, whose iconic name is known in every corner of the globe for her groundbreaking work as an author, political activist, and humanitarian who played a critical role in changing public perceptions about people with disabilities.
The Archive was made possible thanks to Keller's close relationship with AFB, where she worked for 44 years. At the time of her death, she bequeathed all of her belongings, including gifts from around the world, to AFB to create the Archive.
Due to their fragility, many of these items were unavailable to the public until now. This momentous online project, generously supported by the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) and American Express, is also the first of its kind to be fully accessible to blind, deaf, hard-of-hearing, low vision, and deafblind audiences.
The digitized Helen Keller Archive presents an opportunity to encounter this renowned historical figure in a new, dynamic, and exciting way. For example, despite her fame, relatively few people know that Helen Keller wrote 14 books as well as hundreds of essays and articles on a broad array of subjects ranging from animals and atomic energy to Mahatma Gandhi.
The Archive's vast treasure trove of artifacts about Helen Keller includes personal letters, speeches, press clippings, scrapbooks, photographs, photograph albums, oversize materials, architectural drawings, and audio-visual materials.
"Keller was both a product of her environment and a driving force upon it, and few archival collections have the potential of providing historians with so rich a source of information on the history and direction of the United States, and indeed on attitudes to those with disabilities around the globe," said Helen Selsdon, AFB Archivist. "Knowing this, AFB recognized the importance of disseminating this amazing resource that was both underutilized and difficult to access. Digitization was the way to achieve this goal."
Kirk Adams, President and CEO of AFB, Agrees
"Beyond the historical value of the collection to a broad audience ranging from scholars to school children, The Helen Keller Archive represents a powerful vehicle for continuing the work begun by Keller and AFB to build a more inclusive world," Adams said.
"Harnessing the power of the collection, we can inspire educators, employers, and the public to see beyond a person's disabilities to a more equitable society. This digitization project also presented a fantastic opportunity to show the importance of making digital collections accessible to all users."
"Helen Keller is one of our nation's most inspiring figures," said NEH Senior Deputy Chairman Jon Parrish Peede.
"The National Endowment for the Humanities is proud to support efforts to put this valuable archive online so that the records of the life, writing, and achievements of this iconic American are accessible to all."
"American Express has long-believed that by preserving the lessons of the past, we can inspire a more promising future," said Timothy J. McClimon, President of the American Express Foundation.
"By sharing Helen Keller's miraculous story in a modern and dynamic way, we hope to inspire a new generation to fight for a society where everyone's potential is realized and nurtured."
Fully digitizing the Helen Keller Archive is a massive, ongoing process.
American Foundation for the Blind
Founded in 1921, the American Foundation for the Blind (AFB) is a national nonprofit that creates a world of no limits for people who are blind or visually impaired. AFB mobilizes leaders, advances understanding, and champions impactful policies and practices using research and data. AFB is proud to house the Helen Keller Archive and honor the more than 40 years that Helen Keller worked tirelessly with AFB.
Insights, Analysis, and Developments
Editorial Note: What makes this Archive notable is not only its scale but the deliberate choice to build accessibility into the project from the start, so that the same audiences Keller spent her life advocating for can read her letters, study her speeches, and trace her work without the barriers that have long kept fragile historical collections out of reach - in doing so, AFB has turned a private bequest into a public resource that documents both one remarkable life and the changing story of disability in America and beyond.*Attribution/Source(s): This quality-reviewed publication was selected for publishing by the editors of Disabled World (DW) due to its relevance to the disability community. Originally authored by American Foundation for the Blind (AFB) and published on 13 Jun 2018, this content may have been edited for style, clarity, or brevity.
* Editorial additions by Ian C. Langtree.