History Photographed on Instagram: "Helen Keller learned to speak through an immensely difficult process of physical training called the Tadoma method, which she began with her teacher, Anne Sullivan, at the age of ten.⁠ ⁠ Having lost both her sight and hearing as a toddler, Keller could not imitate sounds by sight or sound but by touch.⁠ ⁠ She would place her hands on Sullivan's face, with her thumb on Sullivan's throat to feel the vibrations of the vocal cords, her index finger on the lips to

Helen Maroulis on Instagram: "One year ago today, I won my third Olympic medal. It still feels surreal. After my semifinal loss, I went to cut weight. I called both my parents and neither answered. I was sad, not because losing is the end of the world, but because I truly believed I could win gold, and I wanted to share that joy with them. At the same time, I couldn’t stop crying from gratitude that I even had this opportunity again. Two days before competition, I invited them to watch me train.