LYNN — Performer Sheryl Faye put on the play, “Champion of the Disabled,” written by Joan Shaeffer, for the students of Brickett Elementary School on Thursday. This play goes over the story of the life of Helen Keller, which was, in part, to help the kids learn about resiliency and acceptance.
The kids not only got a chance to see the world from the perspective of a blind person, but they also learned some simple words in sign language. This was perhaps one of the best classes on kindness that they could receive.
“People think because I can’t see, and because I can’t hear, means that I am stupid, but I am a not stupid,” Sheryl Faye quoted Keller.
She then explained to the kids that although some people can’t see or hear, it does not mean that those people are stupid, it means that those people see the world in a different way. Faye also let the kids touch a braille book, which became an opportunity for the students to learn how people with disabilities see the world, and how to treat those individuals with more kindness.
“Everyone please be kind to one another,” said Faye at the end of the class.
Although she did not use a lot of scenic equipment, Faye played her character with compelling confidence, and she managed to portray the limited world people with disabilities have to live in, and the barriers they must overcome.
“I knew I was different from others and nothing I did made me like everyone else,” said the words on the recording, as Faye demonstrated how Keller tried to learn the words for the first time.
One of the most touching moments of the play was when Keller’s secretary proposed to her, but her mother made Keller refuse his proposal.
“I love you Helen, and I want you to be my wife. I love you because you are beautiful and because you are the most loving woman I’ve ever known,” the recording continued, and the kids became agitated.
They then asked the actress if Keller ever married after that, and if she ever had kids, and if she ever found love again. Faye had to explain that Keller never married, and she only had one love in her life, but she also became a prolific and a well-known writer, and that was her biggest accomplishment.
Helen Keller (1880 –1968) was an American author, disability rights advocate, political activist, and lecturer. She was known for the fact that although she lost her sight and her hearing after an illness at the age of 19 months, she managed to graduate from Radcliffe College of Harvard University, and she became the first deafblind person to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree.
This program is supported in part by a grant from the Lynn Cultural Council, a local agency which is supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council.
“I have had Sheryl come to our school for the past several years, so we bring her every year, because we love her,” said Brickett Elementary School Teacher Wendy Wenza.
Faye is an actress and “one-woman show” storyteller, who portrays famous women of our past and present day. Some of her other characters include Susan B. Anthony, Clara Barton, Abigail Adams, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Amelia Earhart, and Anna Frank.
“Performing Helen Keller is one of Faye’s most unique and special programs which helps children understand and accept the different ways people do the same things and inspires them to be the best they can be with the talents they possess,” reads Faye’s website.
Faye, who graduated with a BFA in acting from Emerson College, said she has been doing these historical performances for 19 years, and that she performs at libraries, historical societies, and senior centers.
“I love it, especially in schools. Often, it’s the first time children are seeing any type of acting,” said Faye.
Oksana Kotkina can be reached at [email protected].