What is UKDHM?

UK Disability History Month (UKDHM) is an annual event creating a platform to focus on the history of our struggle for equality and human rights. 2016 will be our seventh year and we have seen a steady increase in interest and activity since we began in 2010.
“It is our turn to document this history and to become agents of change within our communities”
Our website is the central platform to:
• Find out what events are going on around the UK and near you
• Find out the ways you can get involved
• Access exciting resources which we hope will inspire you to organise an event rooted in our history.
• For some time now a number of disabled led organizations have felt the need to have a specific time in the year when the history of our struggle for equality and human rights can be focused on.
In 2009 DCSF commissioned the QCA to carry out research on the possibility of a disability history week in schools. This research showed that schools would be in favour of such a week.
Disability History Month runs from 22nd November to 22nd December every year. This covers HIV/AIDS Day (1st December), International Day of People with Disabilities (3rd Dec.) and International Human Rights Day (10th December). It also follows on directly from Anti-Bullying Week (19th to 23rd November) which is important as 2.5 times as much bullying is recorded towards disabled as compared to non-disabled young people (70-80% of young disabled people claim to have been bullied in school and college). We split across the two months to allow for the Christmas shut down and to allow for four weeks in school term time.
The theme for this year,2016, will be Language and Disability. We will examine the language used where it comes from a disability rights perspective. We will examine the writing that disabled people throughout history have used to describe their position and their impairments and examine the largely mistaken way the news media talks and writes about us. Throughout all we will interrogate the past to learn how we can use this experience to achieve full and equal rights in society as disabled people.
If you organise anything, big or small, please let us know and we will post it on our website!
Finally, please help keep us running by supporting us through affiliation, donating or visiting our online shop and organise events and local study throughout the country.
Thank you.
Richard Rieser
UKDHM Coordinator.

Our website is the central platform to:

  • Find out what events are going on around the UK and near you
  • Find out the ways you can get involved
  • Access exciting resources which we hope will inspire you to organise an event rooted in our history.
  • For some time now a number of disabled led organizations have felt the need to have a specific time in the year when the history of our struggle for equality and human rights can be focused on.