For more than a century, Helen Keller has been one of the best-known people in the world. And while schoolchildren may know the basics about the blind and deaf girl from Alabama, a new documentary delves deeper.

“Becoming Helen Keller” premieres Tuesday, Oct. 19 at 8 p.m. on Alabama Public Television and Public Broadcasting Service stations nationwide as part of the “American Masters” series. The 90-minute presentation “rediscovers the complex life and legacy of the human rights pioneer,” said Mike McKenzie, APT director of programming and public information .

“Many people have been to Ivy Green and seen the water pump made famous in books and film,” McKenzie said. “But there is so much else to learn from Helen Keller – lessons important to all of us today – and ‘American Masters’ brings these to light in a new way with ‘Becoming Helen Keller.’”

Keller and Rosa Parks will be honored soon with statues on the grounds of the Alabama Capitol, recognizing their roles in gaining human rights worldwide. The new documentary about Keller (1880-1968) follows her from the poorhouses and segregated blind and deaf schools of her childhood to her work as an advocate for the poor and people with disabilities. Keller also campaigned around the world for women’s suffrage and rights, labor rights and peace.

The WNET Group is celebrating the new “Becoming Helen Keller” documentary with a free online panel discussion at 6 p.m. Oct. 18. (contributed)

“Becoming Helen Keller” includes interviews with people who knew her, as well as hundreds of rare photographs, historic film clips and a performance by actress Cherry Jones. Born in Tuscumbia, Keller went on to be known as the “First Lady of Courage.” Today, organizations statewide bear her name, including the Helen Keller School (for deaf and blind children), Helen Keller Foundation (for research and education), Helen Keller Festival and Helen Keller Birthplace and Home, which is a National Historic Landmark.

On Oct. 18, the WNET Group of New York City, in collaboration with APT and others, is celebrating “Becoming Helen Keller” with a 6 p.m. free online presentation of highlights from the documentary and a panel discussion with Kirk Adams, president and CEO of the American Foundation for the Blind; poet Kathi Wolfe; actor Alexandria Wailes; and moderated by disability rights advocate and author Rebecca Alexander. The discussion will be open-captioned and will include American Sign Language interpretation. (Go to https://bit.ly/3iBQWAL to sign up for the event.)

APT in 2020 created an advisory board on disability issues, including representatives of the Alabama Institute for Deaf & Blind, Alabama Federation of the Blind, Helen Keller Birthplace, UAB Center for Low Vision Rehabilitation and Lakeshore Rehabilitation Center.

“They were instrumental in steering the creation of local content and advised on best practices,” McKenzie said.

Ivy Green, the house where Helen Keller grew up in Tuscumbia and where performances of “The Miracle Worker” are staged every year. (The George F. Landegger Collection of Alabama Photographs in Carol M. Highsmith’s America, Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division)

Activist and writer Helen Keller will be one of the first two women represented by a statue on the Alabama State Capitol grounds. (Getty Images)

American writer and lecturer Helen Keller (1880 – 1968) takes time to smell a rose. Due to illness, Keller suffered loss of sight and hearing at the age of 19 months. (Bettmann via Getty Images)

The famous water pump where the young Helen Keller had her breakthrough with the help of teacher Anne Sullivan. (Bob Blalock / Alabama NewsCenter)

Helen Keller With Anne Sullivan (© CORBIS/Corbis via Getty Images)

During the past year, the expertise of the advisory board and a grant from WNET allowed APT to make improvements that increase accessibility of content for viewers using all media. McKenzie said APT staff updated the website and that local programs were developed with descriptive audio for people with visual impairment.

Blind, deaf and deaf/blind people gave input concerning issues important to them in APT programs, such as “Capitol Journal,” “Monograph” and “Spotlight on Education.” APT staff created a Facebook video series called “I Am APT,” which highlights people who are overcoming challenges with the aid of public television, McKenzie said.

“Through these efforts and others, we seek not only to serve the blind, deaf and deaf/blind, but to increase awareness and understanding of ability issues in Alabama, break down myths and misunderstanding, increase social and employment opportunities for those with different abilities, and provide inspiration for people of all abilities,” McKenzie said.

“Becoming Helen Keller” will be broadcast on APT’s World Channel seven times in October following the premiere and will be available on APT’s website and the PBS Video App for an extended period after the broadcasts. Check local listings for dates and times.