A new website has been launched by English Heritage (EH) for Disability History Month
English Heritage writes:
From medieval churches built with Lepers’ squints to meeting places for the first disabled self-help groups in the early 20th century, the history of hundreds of buildings telling the story of disabled people’s lives features on a new Disability in Time and Place website launched on 5th December by English Heritage.
Disability in Time and Place was launched by the Chair of English Heritage, Baroness Andrews, and Tara Flood, paralympian and Director of Alliance for Inclusive Education (ALLFIE) at The Graeae Theatre, Hackney, one of London’s best examples of a fully accessible historic building.
Maria Miller, Culture Secretary, said: ‘Our heritage is rightly famous around the world for its historic breadth and depth. But it also shows us how society has changed over the centuries, and how attitudes and perceptions have changed. I very much welcome English Heritage’s new Disability in Time and Place initiative, which will help visitors understand and challenge attitudes to disability.’
Baroness Andrews, Chair of English Heritage, said: ‘This is a history of the nation’s buildings and of a significant proportion of our population which, until now, has gone unexamined and untold. It is the part of the history of every town and city, with the schools, chapels and hospitals which surround us all each day but it has remained invisible and silent. I am extremely proud that English Heritage, using photography from our Archive and testimony from disabled people alongside our own research, is now bringing this story to light.’
Tara Flood, Director of Alliance for Inclusive Education, said: ‘Disability History Month creates an important opportunity for disabled people and our allies to celebrate our lives and to remember our history which has been about struggle and resistance against disablism. ALLFIE’s ‘What Did You Learn at School Today’ project tells the story of how much has changed in terms of our experience of education and the important lessons we must all learn from the past. We are delighted to be supporting the Launch of English Heritage’s Disability in Time and Place project which tells a similar story – together both projects use history to highlight how much there is still to do to support the inclusion and equality of disabled people.’
English Heritage News: LINK
