Disability History
Disability History Museum
Mission
The Disability History Museum's mission is to foster a deeper understanding about how changing cultural values, notions of identity, laws and policies have shaped and influenced the experience of people with disabilities, their families and their communities over time.
Our Goal
The Disability History Museum is a virtual project, it has no bricks or mortar. It aims to provide all site visitors, people with and without disabilities, researchers, teachers and students, with a wide array of tools to help deepen their understanding of human variation and difference, and to expand appreciation of how vital to our common life the experiences of people with disabilities have always been.
Why We Do What We Do
Social struggles of many kinds—civil rights, labor issues, suffrage, immigration and assimilation, the provision of health care for all—make it clear that history is useful for understanding the experiences and problems we encounter in the present. According to the US Census of 2000, there are 54 million Americans living with disabilities. UN figures put the number of people living with disabilities around the globe at 650 million, or, taking families into account, they report two billion people are affected by the experience of disability.
Young people growing up in the United States today have never lived in a built environment that was not notably accessible, where a public education was not provided to a person with a disability. The access and the education may not be perfect, but both are established as important community responsibilities. Yet, legislative change alone doesn't change attitudes, and awareness must be raised and assumptions challenged. This is true in nations with developed economies as well as those emerging onto the modern international network of nations. The UN Convention on Disability Rights provides a bridge, making human rights guarantees to all people with disabilities a goal, but the work of implementing these ideals will take significant financial effort and human resources.
The Disability History Association
About DHA
The Disability History Association (DHA) is an international non-profit organization that promotes the study of disabilities. This includes, but is not limited to, the history of individuals or groups with disabilities, perspectives on disability, representations/ constructions of disability, policy and practice history, teaching, theory, and Disability and related social and civil rights movements.
We define both history and disability widely. This organization is both inclusive and international, reflected in our diverse topics and approaches. Membership is open to scholars, institutions and organizations, and others working in all geographic regions and all time periods.
The DHA offers its members a community of active and interesting historians; access to our resources page, which includes a newsletter, conference information, sample syllabi, and helpful links; as well as an opportunity to help build an exciting field.
The National Consortium on Leadership and Disability for Youth
Why do I need to know Disability History?
Exposure to disability history gives young people with disabilities a sense of where we’ve been and where we need to go. Being aware of and understanding the people and events that are responsible for or contributed to our entitlement to a “free and appropriate public education” or the development of “self-determination” are only two examples of achievements made by people with disabilities for people with disabilities. They give us as a people, a context for developing and feeling a sense of pride in ourselves and our disabilities.
The information on this website is based on recommendations of Celebrate the Children (CTC) staff and families. This information is not endorsed by CTC. It is reliable but at times may not be 100% accurate. CTC is not liable for actions or information given from these agencies.