I’m sure that all of you learned the story of Helen Keller in elementary school, but just to refresh you she was a woman who overcame growing up both blind and deaf in the late 1800s to graduate from Radcliffe College magna cum laude. These days that would still be impressive, but it’s amazing that she did that when she did it. (She had a tutor spell textbooks letter by letter into her hand.) After graduating from college, Helen Keller made it her life’s work to help blind and deaf-blind people. She founded Helen Keller International in 1915, and it has been “devoted to fighting and treating preventable blindness and malnutrition” ever since.

Against All Odds

You don’t realize how important seeing and hearing are until they’re compromised. I went a year with a bad contact lens prescription, and when I finally stopped procrastinating about going to the eye doctor and got a new prescription, I realized how much I was missing out on in every day life. There are people all across the world who have much more serious vision or hearing needs than needing a prescription adjustment, and they don’t have the services that most of us here in the US have. That’s why New York City based Helen Keller International has “programs in 22 countries in Africa and Asia as well as in the United States.” They build “local capacity by establishing sustainable programs, and provide scientific and technical assistance and data to governments and international, regional, national and local organizations around the world.” If this sounds like something that you’d like to be a part of, then you’re in luck. Helen Keller International has a number of job openings listed on their Jobs page. There are opportunities all across the world, but the only ones that appear suitable for new college grads are in the US. These include Junior Accountant in New York City and Project Coordinator for ChildSight (Idealist posting) in New Haven, CT. HKI is also open to hearing from applicants who don’t see a position that suits them, so feel free to send your resume and cover letter to hkihr@hki.org for one of the listed jobs or an unlisted position.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

• HKI.org
• Jobs at Helen Keller International
• About Helen Keller International
• The History of Helen Keller International
• News at Helen Keller International
• Helen Keller International’s Annual Reports

How much did you learn about Hellen Keller in school?

We've identified Helen Keller International as having career opportunities in the following categories:

• accounting
• all employers
• Connecticut
• international
• New York
• non-profit
• outreach
• project management

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