Laura Bridgman Research Paper

Laura Bridgman: Deaf-Blind Laura Bridgman, born December 21, 1829, was a normal two year old, then a couple months after turning two, she became very ill with scarlet fever. After five weeks of being sick, she lost almost all of her eyesight. After she lost her eyesight the infection spread, taking her hearing and almost all her sense of taste and smell. Then Samuel Gridley Howe found and helped her understand her disabilities she now had (Alexander 1-4).
Laura Bridgman went blind and deaf from scarlet fever. Blindness is being unable to see, and many people can become blind. Some people who are at risk of blindness are people with diabetes, stroke victims, or people who work with or near toxic chemicals. There are many things that can help people who
Her left eye went completely blind; in her right eye she could see big shapes, and if she was standing by a window during the day she could tell the difference between light and dark. Sadly, she later accidentally bumped into a spindle and became completely blind in her right eye as well. In addition, she did not have most of her taste buds. She could tell meat from vegetables mostly by texture. However, she can still communicate by using sign language. When she was being taught sign language, by Samuel Gridley Howe, her teacher. Howe tried to teach her how to talk, but he did not succeed and gave up. The only words she could say were “doctor,” “ship,” “pie,” and “baby,” but she mostly just made noises. With sign language and braille, she learned how to spell and read to help her communicate. Laura’s only sense that worked perfectly was her sense of touch. She could tell people's moods by touching their face or by the way they took her hand. Laura could recognize anyone from the slightest touch, even someone she had not seen for six years. If she felt physical pain, she would jump or do muscular exercises (Alexander