Ragnhild Tollefsdatter Kaata

Ragnhild Tollefsdatter Kaata was a role model for Helen Keller and an inspiration when establishing Eikholt

Design: Hilde Diesen/ Mona Sundelius After repro by Carl Normann - Anno Domkirkeodden

Ragnhild Tollefsdatter Kaata was born on 30 May 1873 in Valdres.
In January 1888, the 14-year-old daughter of a farmer, Ragnhild, came to Hamar School for the Deaf. She was the first deafblind person in Norway to receive education customised to her own needs.

Helen Keller's inspiration

Elias Hofgaard was an innovative teacher of the deaf. With knowledge and patience, play and dance, he taught Ragnhild to speak and understand what others were saying. She also learnt to read, count, write, knit and weave. This brought Ragnhild out of her isolation.

Ragnhild Kaata and Hofsgard who taught her. An enlargement of the needle she received from Helen Keller.
Ragnhild Kaata and Elias Hofgaard who taught her. The enlarged needle was given to her by Helen Keller.

The results attracted international attention at the time. Several deafblind people around the world received speech training. For Helen Keller, Ragnhild Kaata became an important role model. "My world enlarged as I learnt to talk," said Helen Keller.

Photo of Helen Keller on the left and Ragnhild Kaata. Both are young in the pictures. Between them is the text "There is beauty in everything even in silence and darkness" Quote by Helen Keller
Image by Helen Keller and Ragnhild Kaata

More than 150 years after Ragnhild Kaata's birth, we can still draw inspiration from the story of Ragnhild and what is possible to achieve.

Great role models become landmarks with the establishment of Eikholt

Ragnhild Kaata and Helen Keller were great role models when Eikholt National Resource Centre for the Deafblind was to be established. Eikholt was opened in 1980, one hundred years after Helen Keller's birth. The largest course building is called Ragnhild Kaatas hus. The road into the centre was named Helen Kellers vei.

Today, Eikholt is a centre of expertise in combined visual and hearing impairment/deafblindness that also offers rehabilitation services. In 2023, Eikholt marked 150 years since Ragnhild Kaata was born. Her story is still an inspiration for what is possible to achieve with combined visual and hearing impairment/deafblindness. 

Want to know more about Ragnhild Kaata?

Read the book "Talegaven" by Hilde Disen published in 2021 by Cappelen Dam. You can find it both in black and white and as an audiobook here: Hilde Diesen - Cartoonist and author

Ragnhild Kaata's house

  • The entrance to Ragnhild Kaata's house. The house contains a hallway with a wardrobe and HC toilet, a large conference room and an apartment.

  • Ragnhild Kaata's house seen from the Administration building.

  • The room can be arranged for different purposes. It has microphones, induction loop and TV.

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