Helen Keller statue unveiled at Capitol

WASHINGTON (CNN) - As lawmakers praised her as a trailblazer and an inspiration for those with disabilities, a bronze statue of Helen Keller was unveiled at the U.S. Capitol Wednesday.

"Some are still dismissed and cast aside for nothing more than being less than perfect," said Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Kentucky, at the unveiling ceremony. "The story of Helen Keller inspires us all."

The statue shows Keller - who lost her sight and hearing to illness at 19 months of age - standing at a water pump as a 7-year-old, a look of recognition on her face as water streams into her hand. It is meant to depict the moment in 1887 when teacher Anne Sullivan spelled "W-A-T-E-R" into one of the child's hands as she held the other under the pump - the moment when Keller realized meanings were hidden in the manual alphabet shapes Sullivan had taught her to make with her hands.

"W-A-T-E-R," said Alabama Gov. Bob Riley. "Five simple letters that helped rescue 7-year-old Helen Keller from a world of darkness and a world of silence.