Deaf-Blind Awareness Week（海倫•凱勒周）
[ 2006-06-26 13:00 ]
Every year the last week of June
 June 27, 2000, is the 120th anniversary of the birth of
Helen Keller, and each year the week in which her birthday falls is recognized
as Deaf-Blind Awareness Week. In honor of Helen Keller -- and other members of
the deaf-blind community, this week is dedicated to the deaf-blind.
Every year the last week of June is devoted to one thing--recognition of the
deaf-blind people in our midst. While the purpose of Deaf-Blind Awareness Week
is to pay homage to Helen Keller, the deaf-blind woman who was born that week,
the week focuses on increasing public awareness and understanding of
deaf-blindness.
According to the Helen Keller National Center (HKNC), about 70,000 people
have hearing and vision loss. More than a decade ago, Deaf-Blind Awareness Week
became an event officially recognized by the Federal government.
 The story of Helen Keller is well known. Born on June 27,
1880, the healthy infant was developing normally. But at the age of 19 months,
an illness left her deaf and blind. When Helen was six, her equally famous
teacher, Anne Sullivan, was able to teach her to communicate. Helen Keller went
on to excel in all aspects of her life: graduating from college with honors and
writing, lecturing, and inspiring people worldwide.
The next is the proclamation of Helen Keller Deaf-Blind Awareness Week made
by US president Ronald Reagan:
Proclamation 5214 -- Helen Keller Deaf-Blind Awareness Week
June 22,
1984
By the President of the United States of America
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| Keller and her
teacher Anne Sullivan |
Our eyes and ears provide vital ways of interacting with the world around us.
The lilt of laughter, the beat of a brass band, the smile of a friend, and the
poetry of a landscape are but a few of the life blessings that our senses of
sight and hearing help us to enjoy. But for some 40,000 Americans who can
neither see nor hear, the world can be a prison of darkness and silence.
Inadequate education, training, and rehabilitation for those who are deaf and
blind may prevent these Americans from becoming independent and self-sufficient,
thereby greatly limiting their life potential and imposing a high economic and
social cost on the Nation.
We must prevent such problems among our deaf-blind citizens by fostering
their independence, creating employment opportunities, and encouraging their
contributions to our society. Crucial to fulfilling this urgent national need is
research on the disorders that cause deafness and blindness. Toward this end,
the National Institute of Neurological and Communicative Disorders and Stroke
and the National Eye Institute as well as a number of voluntary health agencies
are supporting a wide range of investigative projects that one day may provide
the clues to curing and preventing these devastating disorders.
 On June 27 we commemorate the 104th anniversary of the
birth of Helen Keller, America's most renowned and respected deaf-blind person.
Her accomplishments serve as a beacon of courage and hope for our Nation,
symbolizing what deaf-blind people can achieve.
In order to encourage public recognition of and compassion for the complex
problems caused by deaf-blindness and to emphasize the potential contribution of
deaf-blind persons to our Nation, the Congress, by Senate Joint Resolution 261,
has authorized and requested the President to issue a proclamation designating
the last week in June 1984 as ``Helen Keller Deaf-Blind Awareness Week.''
 Now, Therefore, I, Ronald Reagan, President of the United
States of America, do hereby proclaim the week beginning June 24, 1984, as Helen
Keller Deaf-Blind Awareness Week. I call upon all government agencies, health
organizations, communications media, and people of the United States to observe
this week with appropriate ceremonies and activities.
In Witness Whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-second day of
June, in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and eighty-four, and of the
Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and eighth.
Ronald Reagan
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