UK Disability History Month - Ben Purse and the Blind Persons Act 1920

Rosie_Scope

For the final week of Disability History Month, we're going back to 1920 for what's thought to be the first piece of disability-specific legislation in the world. And one of the people who was most influential in bringing this legislation to parliament was Ben Purse OBE.

Ben Purse

Ben Purse was born to a working class family in Salford in 1874. Born with a visual impairment, by the age of 13, Ben had lost all his vision.

Ben attended Henshaw's Blind Asylum where he trained as a piano tuner, but unfortunately he struggled to find work.

Back then, companies and charities would employ some blind and visually impaired people. But the pay and working conditions were often poor and there were few worker protections. Ben decided he wanted to work towards changing this. And in 1894, he became one of the founding members of the National League of the Blind (NLB).

National League of the Blind

Ben was elected as the general secretary of the NLB in 1897, and by 1905 he had become the president. Along with the NHB, Ben wanted to improve working conditions and pay for blind people. They wanted the welfare of blind and visually impaired people to become the government's responsibility instead relying on the charities and companies that were exploiting blind workers.

Many people remarked on how Ben's ability to connect with others made a huge difference to how the NLB's campaigns spread. One person said it "was rare to find a blind person whom Purse did not know".

Campaigns, Strikes and Protests

As part of his work with the NLB, Ben campaigned on a huge number of issues that blind people were facing. He helped organise strikes to fight for workers rights across the country, including a 6 month workers strike in Bristol. He successfully campaigned for concessionary travel for blind people in 38 out of 48 constituencies he visited. And he was also instrumental in working towards creating a minimum wage for blind and visually impaired people.

In 1920, Ben led a march of 250 blind people to Trafalgar Square in London. They were protesting against the unfair treatment of blind workers and raising awareness of the poverty that many blind people experienced. They wanted justice, not charity.

After the march, Ben and a group of other leaders from met with Prime Minister David Lloyd George to persuade him to bring forward some protective legislation. While Mr Lloyd George made very few promises on the day, the government eventually brought out the 1920 Blind Persons Act.

This is thought to be the first piece of legislation relating to disability in the world. It reduced the pension age for blind men and stated that local authorities were to ensure the welfare of blind people living and working in their area.

While there was still much more to do, this was a good start and paved the way for creating better working conditions for blind and disabled workers. Without Ben and all those involved in the NLB campaigns, this legislation may never have passed.

Ben's later life

Ben left the NLB in 1921 and founded the National Union of Industrial and Professional Blind. He wanted to work more co-operatively with charities and focus on peaceful approaches towards creating change.

In later life, he wrote for journals, and published his own books and poetry.

In 1944, he was recognised for his work and given an OBE for his devoted service to the blind. Purse died just five years later aged 75. But he left behind a legacy that made a big difference to the lives of blind and visually impaired people across the UK.

Had you heard about Ben Purse before?

Do you know of any more influential disabled people from across history? I'd love to hear about them ☺️