October 2026 Inclusive History eNews

In this Issue:

1. News of the Field
2. Disability History News & Resources
3. Events @ Emerging America 
4. Other Events
5. Teaching Resources 
6. New at the Library of Congress 

Featured post this issue:  Seeing the Whole Student: Understanding and Resources for Diverse Learning Needs in Your Classroom - guest post by Tessa Dobson. 

Featured Event: Disability History at the 2026 NCSS Conference - Chicago. 

News of the Field

1. Opting into More State-Level Data on The Nation’s Report Card - National Assessment Governing Board. 
2. Voting Rights Teaching Toolkits free of charge from September through Election Day - Zinn Education Project. 

Disability History News & Resources

1. We mourn the passing of our dear friend and mentor Laurie Block, founder of the Disability History Museum. Emerging America came to play a role in disability history in large part due to Laurie's passion and brilliance. See Daily Hampshire Gazette obituary. 
2. It's Our Story - A trove of video interviews of people with disabilities. 
3. "Disability and the Worship of Work" (2025) - Danilyn Rutherford -Somatosphere.  
4. Crip Video Productions. 

Events @ Emerging America

Learn more about current Emerging America professional development events. 

Disability History at the 2026 NCSS Conference - Chicago. 

• December 4-6 - Disability history sessions by Emerging America and others at the National Council for the Social Studies conference in Chicago. Watch this page for updates right up to the start of the conference. 

Teaching Disability History Interest Group

• Teachers, disability advocates, historians, higher education students and allied organizations meet quarterly to share resources and discuss how to advance the field. ASL and CART provided. Supported by a Library of Congress Teaching with Primary Sources grant. Next meeting is December 17, 5:00-6:00pm Eastern Time. To join the group, email Rich Cairn - rcairn @ collaborative.org. 

Recordings and Resources from Recent Emerging America Events: 

• 2nd Annual Teaching Disability History Conference - Tom Harkin Institute, Drake University - View presenter slides and materials from the July 14 conference. Featuring: Kim Nielsen, University of Toledo, Author: A Disability History of the United States; Sarah Handley-Cousins, University at Buffalo, Author: Bodies in Blue: Disability in the Civil War in the North; Hope Bibens, Curator, Tom Harkin political papers. 

• Teaching Disability and Human Rights: 2nd Annual Virtual Teaching Disability History Conference - Find the recordings, transcript and extensive resource materials from April 7 conference. 

• Disability & Young Voters: Access, Legislation and Mobilizing Young Voters - A National Civic Learning Discussion.

Other Events

In-person, unless noted. Hybrid = in-person and virtual options. 

1. October 22 - 5:30pm - Amherst, Massachusetts - Priya Satia - "Who Else Opposed Monarchy in 1776?" - Escape from the Oligarchy: The History and Future of Rule by the Rich. Feinberg Family Lecture Series - UMass Amherst. 
2. October 26 - 7pm Eastern - Robeson, Robinson, and Resistance: Athletes, Artists, and the Struggle for Liberation - Zinn Education Project. 
3. October 29 - 6pm - Amherst, Massachusetts - Aviva Chomsky, Julio Flores, Cecilia Guerrero - "The Business of Borders - Escape from the Oligarchy: The History and Future of Rule by the Rich. Feinberg Family Lecture Series - UMass Amherst. 
4. October 30 - 6:30pm Eastern - hybrid - Ethel Kennedy: The Extraordinary Life and Bold Legacy - JFK Library. 
5. November 7 - Belmont, Massachusetts - Bridges to Equity Conference. 
6. December 4-6, 2026 - Chicago - National Council for the Social Studies 106th Annual Conference. NCSS conference info. [Join Emerging America, Keene State College and friends from the Teaching Disability History movement! - Editor] 
7. January 23, 2027 - SOURCES conference - University of Central Florida. SOURCES conference info. 
8. March 5-6, 2027 - Providence, Rhode Island - National Council for History Education conference. NCHE conference info. [Join Emerging America and friends! - Editor. 

Teaching Resources

1. How a 1968 Student Protest Fueled a Chicano Rights Movement - 11 minute video and teaching materials - RetroReport. 
2. A Different Mirror, new YA edition by Ronald Takaki - free - Zinn Education Project. 
3. Budget Justice: On Building Grassroots Politics and Solidarities by Celina Su - free - Zinn Education Project. 
4. What the World War II-Era Bracero Program Reveals About U.S. Immigration Debates - video and teaching materials - RetroReport. 
5. Teach The American Revolution at 250 Years and Beyond - video and teaching materials - PBS. 
6. Black Excellence by Design:  A Critical Framework for Transforming K-12 Education - Darnell Thigpen Williams. 
7. The Scientific Revolution - OER Project. 
8. Immigration and the Bracero Program - lesson - Immigrant Learning Center. 

New at the Library of Congress

1. Populism and Coxey’s Army: A Nineteenth-Century March on Washington. 
2. The COVID-19 American History Project: Oral Histories of Working Through the Pandemic. 
3. Teaching with the U.S. Local History Collection. 
4. Resources for Rural and Small Libraries. 
5. A New Collection Honoring the 25th Anniversary of 9-11. 

Image Credits

1. From the Self-Determination Youth Credo video of the Virginia Department of Education. 
2. How a 1968 Student Protest Fueled a Chicano Rights Movement - RetroReport. 
3. Stuart Sherman & John Gulotta, 2025. From The COVID-19 American History Project: Oral Histories of Working Through the Pandemic. Library of Congress. 

About Emerging America's Inclusive History News

Committed to Access and Inclusion of All Learners in Civics, History and Social Studies 

Created in response to teacher requests in 2013, the History eNews emailed monthly short descriptions and links of quality history and social studies events and resources. Today, items appear in an Emerging America blog page, with regular Constant Contact email notices to our subscribers. Sign up free at the bottom of the page. 

We welcome your news & events! 

• Published on the first of the month, updated continuously through the month. 
• Submit items any time to rcairn @ collaborative.org. 
• Archived at: http://EmergingAmerica.org/blog. 
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• Content created and featured in partnership with the Teaching with Primary Sources program does not indicate an endorsement by the Library of Congress.