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Group of individuals standing around a #TeachDisabilityHistory banner at ADA 35th Anniversary Celebration in Boston

Teach Disability History

The #TeachDisabilityHistory campaign aims to promote the importance of teaching disability history while providing leadership opportunities to disabled youth and young adults.

Disability history is the experience, journey, and oppression that those with disabilities have experienced in the past. Including the advocacy and push the disability community has done and continues to do for equal rights. Every culture has its own history, and people do not often realize that disability is a culture.

The #TeachDisabilityHistory campaign was created to promote the importance of teaching disability history. The #TeachDisabilityHistory campaign is led by a committee of disabled young adults committed to helping spread this message. They do this by meeting regularly to discuss how to move the campaign forward, as well as leading presentations and events.

Group of young adults doing a presentation on #TeachDisabilityHistory

Activities include committee-led presentations about the campaign and organizing and participating in community activities around disability history.

Join the Movement

  • Man giving presentation about #TeachDisabilityHistory

    Request a Presentation

    Explore disability history by having the #TeachDisabilityHistory committee come and give an interactive and fun presentation to your class or group.
  • Close up of person writing why they think it is important to teach disability history

    Join the Conversation

    See what others are saying and access our sign template to share why you think it's important to #TeachDisabilityHistory in schools!

Meet the Committee

14 young adults who make up the #TeachDisabilityHistory Committee

In 2009, youth through Easterseals and other organizations such as the Boston Center for Independent Living advocated for the Governor to sign a proclamation making October Disability History Month in Massachusetts. This was a great accomplishment, but there was still no curriculum or mandate behind it.

In 2018, there were advocacy efforts to get the disability history curriculum and documentary The Great Fight for Disability Rights into Massachusetts schools. Youth at Easterseals gathered signatures and wrote letters to the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education asking that this curriculum be made available to teachers. In part due to these efforts, this curriculum is available for free to any Massachusetts teacher who would like to access it.

These efforts prompted the creation of the #TeachDisabilityHistory campaign to let teachers know about this curriculum, as well as spread awareness about the overall importance of teaching disability history and legislative landmarks of the Americans With Disabilities Act.

Since 2019, the #TeachDisabilityHistory campaign committee has hosted and led presentations and events promoting the campaign's goals. The committee has gotten opportunities to lead presentations at conferences, colleges, schools, and medical professionals, and more.