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The UK Disability History Month (UKDHM) ran between 18 November – 18 December 2021.

In this blog post, I will discuss what UKDHM is, it’s importance and remarkable disabled people in history. I will also consider why it’s important to take steps towards improving disability inclusion not only in DHM but throughout the year.

What is UKDHM?

UKDHM is an annual event that creates a platform to promote disabled people's rights and their struggle for equality now and in the past. UKDHM runs every year and covers International Day of People with Disabilities (3 December) and International Human Rights Day (10 December).

The month calls on various bodies including schools, universities, employers, the public and media to recognise and celebrate UKDHM and work on improving the unequal position of disabled people in society.

The two themes for 2021 were:

• Disability and Hidden Impairments; and
• Disabilities, Sex and Relationships.

Find out more about these themes on the UK DHM’s website.

Interesting disability facts

According to the UK Government Family Resources Survey in 2018/2019, 21% of people in the UK have a disability (1 in 5).

Furthermore, the charity Scope UK found that:

• there are 14.1 million disabled people in the UK;
• life costs an extra £583 a month on average if you're disabled; and 
• disabled people are twice as likely to be unemployed.

Lastly, according to the United Nations, disabled people are the world's largest minority group.

Remarkable disabled people In history

Disabled people are often overlooked for their accomplishments. Here are some remarkable people who changed the world...

• Stephen Hawking, born 14 March 1942, was an English theoretical physicist and cosmologist, Stephen also had motor neurone disease. Stephen showed that Einstein's general theory of relativity implied space and time would have a beginning (the Big Bang) and an end in black holes. His subsequent work in this area laid the foundations for today’s understanding of the universe and how it all began.
• Eliza Suggs, born 11 December 1876, was an American Author. Eliza had brittle bone disease and was a woman of faith who believed God made her this way for a reason. Eliza often preached that disability isn't a bad thing.
   
• Alan Turing, born 23 June 1912, was an English mathematician, computer scientist, cryptanalyst, philosopher and theoretical biologist. Turing also had autism. Turing was highly influential in the development of theoretical computer science. He provided the concepts of algorithm and computation with the Turing machine, which can be considered a model of today's computer. Turing played a crucial role in cracking intercepted coded messages from the enemy in World War Two.
   
• Frida Khalo, born in 1910, had multiple disabilities and became a world-renowned painter. Frida is considered an icon for many diverse communities including the disability and LGBTQ+ communities. Weaving surrealism, Mexican mythology and elements of pop culture together, Kahlo created some of the most vivid and striking work of the mid-20th century.

To find out more about the LGBTQ+ community, read this LCN Feature: ‘LGBTQ+ history: how the legal profession can be a better ally.’

Promoting disability inclusion

I can’t believe that I only found out about UKDHM two years ago! Even though it began in 2010, it is still a relatively unknown and under publicised event.

I’m pleased to say that across my LinkedIn, I did find that more organisations were celebrating UKDHM in 2021 compared to 2020. I hope that this uptake continues in 2022.

As disability is the largest minority group in the world that anyone can join at any time, it’s incredibly important that we all work together to improve access and inclusion for disabled people.

A new change

We can start breaking down barriers by talking about disability, rather than ignoring the elephant in the room. It’s ok not to know all the answers, but it is not ok not to learn. So, I want to encourage those who are new to the disability space to consider disability within your decision making. Sometimes those small steps do go a long way in creating better disability inclusion!