TRIUMPH OVER ADVERSITY
by Stan Griffin, Deaf Friends International Special Contributor

Hidden away for 18 years (1958-1976) because no one knew how to talk to a deaf-blind woman, Nellie L. Zimmerman finally burst forth at age 71 and lived her life as if she were making up for lost time. It was a " ... testimony to the victory of human spirit over most difficult circumstances ..."

Nellie went on to attend college, become a well-known lecturer, a teacher at a group home for deaf and deaf-and-blind boys, and win a number of honors including being named 1979's Handicapped Professional of the Year and an "Outstanding Ohioan" by the Ohio House of Representatives.

Nellie’s journey began in Braddock, Pennsylvania in 1906 where she was born with normal hearing and vision. Nellie’s mother died soon, but fortunately she had a caring father to look after her.

At the age of nine, she became completely deaf. The local public school refused to enroll her when she was scheduled to begin the third grade. Mr. Zimmerman hired a governess to "home-school" her; she taught Nellie fingerspelling.

The family moved to Massillon, Ohio, and soon afterwards Nellie’s vision began to fail. She learned to read Braille before total darkness descended on her at age 22. In spite of her disability, Nellie, her father, and her caretaker managed to live a full life. She took care of her own clothes, cleaned the house, cooked meals, and even walked alone around their neighborhood.

In 1951 Mr. Zimmerman died. The caretaker was fired, and Nellie’s sister took her to live with her family. Unfortunately, no one could communicate with Nellie. She was understandably frustrated and began throwing tantrums. Nellie was shuttled from one relative to another, eventually being placed in a nursing home. When this solution proved unworkable, Nellie was committed to Massillon State Mental Hospital. She was 52 years old.

No one at the Hospital was trained in communicating with the deaf-blind, so Nellie was confined to a ward with 60 mentally disturbed, senile women. She lived in silence, sitting in a high-backed arm chair, hiding under bed sheets, fingerspelling the Lord’s Prayer to herself, memorizing her Braille Bible, and playing complicated math and word games in her head.

Finally a deaf Hospital volunteer, Carrie Dixon, discovered her; and they became friends. When Carrie unexpectedly died, her friend, Jim Schneck, continued to visit Nellie. Through his efforts, Nellie was released in April, 1976, and moved into a boarding house in Canton, Ohio. Jim took her to a deaf church where she met Emily Street. The two "hit it off" and went on weekly outings.

When Nellie was evicted from her rooming house, she and Emily moved into a two-bedroom apartment. They took in another roommate, a young blind woman named Nancy who looked after Nellie while Emily was at work. It wasn’t long before the two "stay-at-homes" became enemies.

Because of the friction between Nellie and Nancy, Emily decided she must leave her job. It occurred to her Nellie was a "true mental genius" so she suggested Nellie go to college–with Emily helping by fingerspelling the instructors’ lectures.

Nellie flourished at Malone College in Canton, coming out of her shell with a vengeance. She studied history, literature, philosophy, and the Bible. Her apartment became a popular gathering place for college friends and all-night talk sessions. Sometimes they went dancing.

Articles in a local newspaper about Nellie’s life as a college student brought offers to address college classes and church groups. Emily and Nellie soon became popular speakers throughout northeast Ohio, presenting over 200 programs to churches, civic clubs, and schools.

Nellie and Emily took jobs at the New Life Group Home for deaf and deaf-blind boys. Nellie was a life skills instructor and taught the boys cooking, crafts, and how to handle their money. She was widely recognized for her work there, being interviewed for newspaper stories and television appearances.

Emily married a man named Lloyd Hensel, but Nellie became jealous of their relationship. She and Lloyd did not get along. Nellie had difficulty accepting the marriage and Emily’s eventual pregnancy.

Emily and Lloyd moved to an upstairs apartment and managed to locate a new home for Nellie. They settled her into the Columbus Colony for the Deaf where she made new friends and finally fell in love at age 75.

At Nellie’s funeral, one of the mourners was author Rosezelle Boggs-Qualls. There she was introduced to Emily Street Hensel. Two years later Emily asked Mrs. Qualls to write Nellie’s biography. It was titled "Walking Free: the Nellie Zimmerman Story," published by Densmore Reid Publications, 67 South 24^th Street, Richmond, Indiana.