Disability History Month
UK Disability History Month runs from 19 November to 19 December 2026.
This year, the theme is ‘Disability, Politics and Democracy’.
UK Disability History Month looks at the history of disabled people and their fight for equality and rights. One in four people in the UK is disabled, but after the 2024 general election just under 2% of MPs had said they were disabled. This year is a chance to explore who gets a say, and what we can all do to make sure everyone can take part.
What is the social model of disability?
The social model says people are disabled by barriers in society, not by their impairment or condition. Instead of asking “what’s wrong with this person?”, it asks “what’s in the way?”.
Physical: a classroom with no lift
Attitudinal: assuming a disabled student can’t lead a club or go on a trip
Communication: videos without captions
Organisational: clubs that only meet after someone’s transport home has left
Disabled people changed the law
1920: Blind marchers walked to Trafalgar Square with a banner reading “Justice Not Charity”. Their campaign led to the world’s first law specifically about disability.
1948: Doctor Ludwig Guttmann held the first Stoke Mandeville Games, which grew into the Paralympics.
1990s: Disabled activists held over 100 protests, including chaining wheelchairs to buses, until the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 made discrimination illegal in work and services.
2010: The Equality Act protects disabled people from discrimination and harassment at work, in education and when using services.
Having your say
Voting is one way to have a say. Polling stations in Eastbourne and Lewes have wheelchair-level booths, large print and audio versions of the ballot paper, tactile voting devices, magnifiers and pencil grips. If you’re disabled, you can bring someone aged 18 or over to help you, or ask staff for help.
Everyone can help remove barriers
Caption videos you make, and use clear fonts in your presentations
Ask “what would help?” rather than assuming
Share your ideas for a more accessible college through Student Voice
Information on this page comes from UK Disability History Month, Scope, the National Archives, GOV.UK, Lewes and Eastbourne Councils and the University of Exeter.