A Disability Timeline and some well known disabled people from the past and present
Life for disabled people has changed a lot over the years. With improvements in medicine people live a lot longer which increases the chances of long term health problems which impair mobility, hearing or eyesight. This also means that people who may not have survived in the past now live long and productive lives.
We looked at how the Elizabethan Poor Law made a distinction between the "deserving poor" and those who did not deserve charity. We looked at the laws that made it compulsory for people with a wide range of learning or physical impairments to be made to live in institutions. Many of those laws have been amended to create a level playing field for disabled people and other minorities under Equality Act legislation. However we are not sure how successfully so as yet!
See here for some disabled people past and present. One of the Our Histories members is also collecting information about disabled actors and people in the news.
We looked at how the Elizabethan Poor Law made a distinction between the "deserving poor" and those who did not deserve charity. We looked at the laws that made it compulsory for people with a wide range of learning or physical impairments to be made to live in institutions. Many of those laws have been amended to create a level playing field for disabled people and other minorities under Equality Act legislation. However we are not sure how successfully so as yet!
See here for some disabled people past and present. One of the Our Histories members is also collecting information about disabled actors and people in the news.
Making our own timeline - in film:
"Time Slip" in production and on location features the Our Histories, Our Heritage participants who have written the script, the screenplay and are directing and acting in a film which references their research into the heritage of disability and links it with today in an engaging and informative way, watch this space for the finished film.
Some disability history websites
In the British Library there are some collections of oral histories relating to disability http://www.bl.uk/reshelp/findhelprestype/sound/ohist/ohcoll/ohhealth/health.html
The history of people with learning disabilities is often one of institutions and struggle for acceptance see here for some oral testaments http://www.open.ac.uk/hsc/ldsite/
22 Nov - 22 December is Disability History Month. See here for some useful resources http://ukdisabilityhistorymonth.com/
The BBC made some programmes looking at how people disabled by the two world wars coped http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01hb809/episodes/guide
The history of people with learning disabilities is often one of institutions and struggle for acceptance see here for some oral testaments http://www.open.ac.uk/hsc/ldsite/
22 Nov - 22 December is Disability History Month. See here for some useful resources http://ukdisabilityhistorymonth.com/
The BBC made some programmes looking at how people disabled by the two world wars coped http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01hb809/episodes/guide