Theresa Poh Lin Chan

Chan Poh Lin (9 July 1943 – 6 June 2016), better known as Theresa Poh Lin Chan, was a Singaporean writer and teacher. Born in Singapore, she was known in her youth as "the Helen Keller of Southeast Asia", as, like Keller, Chan was a highly accomplished deaf and blind person. Chan was the subject of a BBC radio documentary and inspired a Singaporean film.

Early life and career Chan was born the child of a hawker and a waitress. Chan became deaf at 12 and lost her sight at 14.

John Wilson, director of the Royal Commonwealth Society for the Blind, met Chan when he visited Singapore in 1958, and recalled in his 1963 book, Travelling Blind: “She told me she wanted to learn like Helen Keller, to speak English like the Queen of England, to meet everyone in the world.” On his recommendation, Poh was accepted at the Perkins School for the Blind in Massachusetts where she topped the school in Mathematics, became president of the sports club, and learned to dance, ice skate, knit, and horseback ride.

Chan spent 13 years in the United States and returned to Singapore in 1973 to take care of her aging parents. She became a teacher at the Singapore School for the Blind, but eventually lost the job in 1990. considered because her writings about her life were part of the inspiration for the film.

Death Chan died on 9 June 2016 at Assisi Hospice from lung cancer.