Celebrating Disability History Month
20 Nov 2025
Get involved!
UK Disability History Month is an important time to reflect on the achievements and struggles of disabled people, challenging stereotypes, and celebrating the diversity within our community. It’s an opportunity to recognize the contributions of disabled people throughout history and to continue building a workplace where everyone can thrive. It’s about visibility, understanding, and action.
Professor Jackie Carter, Academic Lead for Disability Inclusion says:
“I live with a disability and a long-term condition and often describe myself as deaf, dizzy and disabled. The aim is to demystify what being disabled means and create a culture of sharing.”
What's on
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‘Where are all the Disabled Women’ with Rachel Charlton-Dailey
- Wednesday 3 December, 12 noon – 13.00
- Disabled women have been the driving force between many of the rights that both disabled people - and women in general- have today, but they're rarely talked about and sorely missed from history books. Join disability rights journalist, activist and author of Ramping Up Rights: An Unfinished History of British Disability Activism Rachel Charlton-Dailey as she uncovers some of the disabled women we should all know more about.
Unlock Accessibility Excellence with AccessAble with Fiona McGibbon.
- Thursday 4 December, 12 noon – 13.00
- Learn the benefits of AccessAble: From detailed accessibility guides to practical tools that empower your staff, students and visitors, Fiona will share insider tips on how our University can improve experiences and meet compliance standards, to drive positive change.
Training Event: Recognising and Responding to Ableist Microaggressions
- 4th December 2025, 10am–1pm
- This interactive session, delivered by Be What you See Consultancy, explores how ableism can appear in subtle and everyday ways across the university. Using realistic examples from Science and Engineering, participants will learn how to recognise ableist microaggressions and practice responding as confident, informed active bystanders.
- Thursday 11 December 2025, 12 noon to 2pm, Room 2.4 Roscoe Building
- Join members of the Disabled Staff Network for a hands-on zine-making workshop led by former co-chair Rachel Heyes, where we explore disabled lived experiences through DIY publishing. Whether you’re a seasoned creator or new to zines, this is a space to reflect, connect, and make something meaningful.
Disability History Month blogs
- More Than One Lifetime: Redefining Disability and Living Fully
- Ageing with Autism: My Journey
- Disability, Life and Death: Living with ME/CFS and Invisible Condition
Get involved with our wider disability community
- Disabled Staff Network (DSN): a safe and supportive space for colleagues with visible and invisible disabilities, long-term health conditions, and neurodivergence.
- International Day of the Disabled Person: come to work dressed in purple on Wednesday 3 December to show your allyship to our disabled community.
- “Let’s Talk Disability” podcast
- Check our space on Staffnet to find out more about our partnerships, resources and training to deepen disability inclusion.
- Hidden disabilities sunflower scheme
- Use our Disability History Month background on your MS Teams calls
- Sign up to our new specialised training for disabled PGRs/ECRs to improve career development
Together, we can build a workplace where disability inclusion is not just policy – it’s culture.
Disability History Month is not just about looking back—it’s about shaping a future where everyone feels valued and included. Let’s work together to make that vision a reality.