4/25/2009
She Touched the World: Laura Bridgman, Deaf-Blind Pioneer by Sally Hobart Alexander and Robert Alexander
Fifty years before Helen Keller, there was Laura Bridgman. She lost her hearing, eyesight, and most of her senses of taste and smell, to scarlet fever. An exceptionally bright child, Laura was taken at age seven to the Perkins School for the Blind, where she became the student of Samuel Gridley Howe. She learned to read raised letters (not Braille) and to understand and to "speak" language through finger spelling. Later in her life she was Annie Sullivan's teacher. This excellent biography will lead students to a better understanding of the deaf-blind and their accomplishments. The author herself is blind and somewhat hearing-impaired. Bridgman's story is told in a lively, readable style and is heavily illustrated with photographs and period illustrations. An index, bibliography, notes, and websites are included. Highly recommended for middle school. It can easily be paired with "Helen's Eyes."
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Second. A fascinating look at a lesser-known figure in the history of deaf-blind education. The authors begin with Laura's childhood and then describes her teacher, Dr. Howe's breakthroughs that allowed her to lead a fulfilling life. The book ends with a chapter describing what life is like for deaf-blind people today. One gripe - I do not like the following dark sentence in the introduction, If you had lived in 1841 . . . you would have named your favorite doll after her. . . . And then you would have poked out the doll’s eye." Hopefully, students will get beyond that and read on to discover the life of a strog woman who overcame challenging disabilities.
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