The Importance of Teaching Disability History
By Nicole Homerin, Inclusion Communities Manager
In March 2023, the world lost Judy Heumann, often referred to as the mother of the disability rights movement. This was a huge loss to the disability community. However, much of the world is still unaware of the indelible impact that Judy left on the world. Her efforts as well as the efforts of many disability leaders frequently go unnoticed by the general public because we do not learn about these leaders in school. However, disability leaders are integral figures in understanding civil rights movements and historical legislation that has given us freedoms and protections. So why should we teach disability history in school?
Social studies helps children learn about a variety of cultures, ways of life, historical experiences of people, and how to use this knowledge and historical lens to inform civic, political, and social movements of the future. The disability community makes up the largest historically underserved community, representing individuals spanning across cultures, ethnicities, genders, sexual orientations, religions/spiritualities, socioeconomic backgrounds, and geographic regions. Currently, one in four adults has a disability in the United States. Therefore, in order to understand humans throughout the past, present, and future, we must examine the role that disability plays in our world.
Studying disability is studying a culture. One example of this is through the analysis of Deaf history and Deaf culture. The Deaf community has a long history of language, cultural practices, and norms. American Sign Language (ASL) is a part of this history and culture. In order to understand current issues and challenges the Deaf community faces, we must first be aware of the discriminatory practices they have faced throughout history and how these discriminatory practices impacted their community throughout generations. This is just one example of how disability history is intertwined with culture.
Disability history is also interwoven into all aspects of history. From fighting for the right to equal education, to the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act in 1990, disability history has shaped so many of the current rights and protections we have under the law. It’s important for students to understand what life was like for people before these protections were passed, how these protections impact themselves and their peers, and gaps in current legislation that still allow for large scale discriminatory practices against individuals with disabilities.
Teaching disability history is paramount to civic engagement. Disability history is deeply intertwined to the Civil Rights Movement as well as other movements throughout history focused on fighting for human rights. It is important for students to understand the origins of their human rights and the rights of their peers. In addition, analyzing disability history through a civil rights lens helps students identify what current barriers and discriminatory practices still remain. This knowledge can be used to help students connect to current civic engagement opportunities and current disability rights issues.
It’s also essential that children see individuals like themselves represented throughout history. During the 2020–2021 school year, 7.2 million students ages 3–21 received special education services under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Many more children also have disabilities that may not qualify them for services under IDEA. Thus, our classrooms are filled with students with disabilities, both apparent and non-apparent. Representation is important to help students develop their identities and understand that although their disabilities may present challenges, they also possess incredible strengths that can support them in accomplishing their future goals. Through the lens of self-fulfilling prophecy, they need access to information about figures in disability history to understand their personal and professional potential.
There are so many reasons to teach disability history, but how do we start? This article in We Are Teachers highlights five resources to help teachers get started. Disability Equality Education also has several resources for incorporating disability history into your classroom. When evaluating curriculum and material to include, it is important to make sure that disabled voices are included as sources of disability history. As the common phrase goes, “nothing about us without us.”
In sum, teaching disability history is integral to empowering the next generation to understand their roots and current issues that impact their futures. From accessibility to inclusion to culture, lessons from disability history are all around us and impact all groups of people, regardless of age, race, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual identity, geographic region, or socioeconomic status. Disability history informs disability future, and it starts by educating our youth with first-hand sources and representation from all groups of people in order to understand how we work to build an inclusive world.
Nicole Homerin, M.Ed., is an educator and advocate. She received her Bachelor’s Degree in Early Childhood Education from Boston University and her Master’s Degree in Special Education from Boston College. She spent several years teaching young children with disabilities before moving into the youth disability nonprofit space. In addition to her full-time job, Nicole enjoys writing for We Are Teachers and Rooted In Rights. She also does consulting work with schools, families, and organizations focused on the topics of disability inclusion, disability rights, and the mental health and well-being of students and teachers.
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