UK Disability History Month
UK Disability History Month was set up in 2010 to create a platform from which a focus on the history of Disabled people’s struggles for equality and human rights could be highlighted and advanced through education.
This year, the event runs from November 18th to December 20th and the
focus is on access and how far we have come in that regard, as well as how far we still have to go.
A history of disability
As part of the occasion, we thought we would share this fascinating
history of disability resource, which details how disabled people have influenced the world around us, and how attitudes towards disability have changed within society through the ages.
It represents a good opportunity to learn, consider and talk about the subject amongst ourselves, because it's obviously clear that society has come a long way, but it's interesting to look back on how things were 100s of years ago, and think about how things will be 100s of years from now.
The resource covers the following periods:
- disability in the medieval period, 1050 - 1485
- disability from 1485 to 1660
- disability from 1660 to 1832
- disability in the 19th century
- disability in the early 20th century, 1914 to 1945
- disability since 1945
So, how far have we come?
What are your thoughts on how attitudes towards disability have evolved through your lifetime? And what still needs to improve? Who would you say is the most influential disabled person of all time?
