UK Disability History Month.
This year, UK Disability History Month (UKDHM) runs from the 16th November to the 16th December. Starting in 2010, it is an annual event creating a platform to focus on the history of disabled people’s struggle for equality and human rights, as well as an opportunity to celebrate where progress has been made. The month is notable, as it includes World Aids Day on the 1st December, International Day of Disabled People on the 3rd December and International Human Rights Day on the 10th December. The theme for this year is Disability, Health and Wellbeing, which is a highly appropriate theme given the impact of both the pandemic and the cost of living.
For centuries, life for disabled people has been a struggle. This can arguably be traced back to the time of Aristotle, who infamously asserted that “from the hour of their birth, some are marked out for subjection, others to rule”. He went on to argue that some human beings are simply incapable of engaging in successful practical reasoning. These views can be said to have had a profound impact on how society viewed disabled people meaning those with disabilities were considered a lesser being of lesser ability and with reduced rights.
The 1948 UN Convention on Human Rights is seen as a major turning point for disabled people in their fight for equality. As well as promoting key issues such as equal pay, equal treatment and equal opportunities, it makes clear that disabled people are, when it boils down to it, people and therefore deserving of the same respect and rights as anyone else. An illustration of the Convention’s importance is that global equality legislation, including the Equality Act 2010, is underpinned by many of its articles.
There is no question that life for disabled people in the UK is infinitely better than it once was. For example, mainstream education for disabled young people is considered as the norm in many cases and the evolution of technology has allowed disabled people to be both more independent, as well as be much more integrated in to today’s society. However, with an unemployment rate of 8.4% compared to 4.6% amongst non-disabled people, UK Disability History Month provides us an opportunity to reflect on the barriers that disabled people still have to overcome and what society should do to remove these.