What is Disability History Month?

UK Disability History Month is an annual event to raise awareness about disabled people’s fight for equality and human rights. It is an opportunity to reflect on the progress made for disability rights and to act on what we can do to support disability equality in the present. 

UK Disability History Month will take place from 14 November to 20 December. 

At UEL, we celebrate UK Disability History Month as part of our ongoing commitment to equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI).

The UEL Staff Disability and Neurodiversity Network has put together a list of books, blogs, podcasts, and films written and created by disabled people. 

Books

• Haben Girma – Haben the deaf-blind woman who conquered Harvard Law

The first deaf-blind graduate of Harvard Law School, Haben Girma advocates for equal opportunities for people with disabilities. She is a White House Champion of Change and a Forbes 30 Under 30 honouree. 

• Beneditta Ngina Gathecha – Between Disability and Womanhood: The everyday struggles and triumphs of a disabled Kenyan woman.

The book explores the unique challenges and triumphs that Gathecha faces in navigating societal expectations, cultural norms, and physical limitations.

• Alice Wong: Disability Visibility

From Harriet McBryde Johnson’s account of her debate with Peter Singer over her own personhood to original pieces by authors like Keah Brown and Haben Girma; from blog posts, manifestos, and eulogies to congressional testimonies, and beyond: this anthology gives a glimpse into the rich complexity of the disabled experience, highlighting the passions, talents, and everyday lives of this community. 

• Nichole Brown & Jennifer Leigh – Ableism in Academia

Ableism in Academia provides an interdisciplinary outlook on ableism that is currently missing. Through reporting research data and exploring personal experiences, the contributors theorise and conceptualise what it means to be/work outside the stereotypical norm. 

• Feminist, Queer, Crip 

In Feminist, Queer, Crip Alison Kafer imagines a different future for disability and disabled bodies. Challenging the ways in which ideas about the future and time have been deployed in the service of compulsory able-bodiedness and able-mindedness, Kafer rejects the idea of disability as a pre-determined limit.

• ADHD Works At Work eBook: Maskell, Leanne: Amazon.co.uk: Kindle Store

This easy-to-read guide will help you to understand, support, and harness ADHD at work. 

Blogs 

• Disability Visibility Project – The Disability Visibility Project is an online community dedicated to creating, sharing, and amplifying disability media and culture. 
• A11y Project (Digital Accessibility) - The A11Y Project is a community-driven effort to make digital accessibility easier. 
• The Triple Cripples – Increasing visibility and highlighting the narratives of black and non-black women, femmes and non-binary people of colour, living with disabilities.

Films, shorts and documentaries

•  Natacha Trotman – Poem Subset / Reset

 Neuro-divergence is a term used to describe ways in which the human brain can function, learn and process information differently. Trotman’s film combines imagery and spoken word poetry to highlight certain neuro-divergent perspectives. It explores non-normative perceptions and experiences of the everyday and its trials, triumphs and challenges.

• Crip Camp 

A groundbreaking summer camp galvanises a group of teens with disabilities to help build a movement, forging a new path toward greater equality. 

• Then Barbra met Alan 

After meeting in a club, two cabaret performers fall in love and start campaigning for disability rights across the UK. Based on a true story. 

• Sins Invalid

Sins Invalid witnesses a performance project that incubates and celebrates artists with disabilities, centralising artists of colour and queer and gender-variant artists. 

Podcasts

• Access All

Weekly podcast about mental health, wellbeing and disabled people. 

Life stories and solutions with a friendly touch – for listeners around the world. Presented by Nikki Fox. 

• Disability visibility

If you’re interested in disability rights, social justice, and intersectionality, this show is for you. It’s time to hear more disabled people in podcasting and radio. Named one of the 15 best podcasts by women that you’re not listening to by Refinery 29 in 2021. 

• Power, not Pity

A podcast that centres and celebrates the lived experiences of disabled people of colour. The show explores the worlds of people in our community who dare to interrogate the dominant narrative of what survival feels like for a disabled person of colour.

• What if everyone was disabled?

Mat Fraser imagines how different our world would be if everybody had a disability.

UEL support 

One of the most vital aspects of fostering inclusion during Disability History Month is recognising the importance of support systems in educational institutions. University of East London (UEL) lead the way with dedicated teams like our Disability and Dyslexia Team, ensuring that students with diverse needs can thrive academically and personally. By providing tailored support for mental health conditions, Specific Learning Differences (SpLDs), autism spectrum conditions, sensory impairments, and physical disabilities, we demonstrate how inclusive practices can break down barriers. Services like these are not just about meeting legal requirements; we are about empowering students to achieve their full potential. If you’re a student navigating such challenges, don’t hesitate to reach out to our university’s support team.

Funding support for disabled students at UEL

If you’re a student at the University of East London (UEL) and living with a disability, you could be eligible for financial support to help you navigate your studies. One key resource available to students in England is the Disabled Students’ Allowance (DSA). This funding support for disabled Students at UEL is designed to cover costs related to your disability, mental health condition, or specific learning difficulty, ensuring you have access to the tools and resources you need to succeed.

The Disability and Dyslexia Team can guide you through the application process for DSA, helping to assess your needs and ensure you receive the appropriate support. The allowance isn’t income-based, meaning it’s entirely tailored to your individual requirements, such as specialist equipment, software, or mentoring. For the academic year 2023 to 2024, students can access up to £26,291 annually, including additional support for travel expenses if your disability affects your ability to use standard public transport.

If you're interested in finding more about UEL's work on disability, please find out more at our Office for Institutional Equity.