In this Issue:
- News of the Field
- Disability History News & Resources
- Events @ Emerging America
- Other Events
- Teaching Resources
- New at the Library of Congress
Featured August Blog Post: Brad Lomax: The Disabled Black Panther Who Fought for Section 504 by Saphire Murphy.
News of the Field
- After 30 years, on June 30 Brown University abruptly shut down the Choices Program and all its curriculum and resources, including a resource guide on teaching disability history and lessons that featured disability history.
- The next issue of the Emerging America's History eNews will appear in September.
Disability History News & Resources
- Teaching Disability History Conference - Teachers, historians, disability advocates and teacher-educators from California to New Hampshire gathered July 8 at Keene State College to discuss and share how to advance the Teaching of Disability History. Find a wealth of presentation slides, articles, teaching materials and primary sources on the conference website.
- "You Can’t:" The Rights and Responsibilities of Neurodivergent Children, Senior Individual Website - Kathleen Godfrey - National History Day.
- People in wheelchairs zip-tied and escorted out of Capitol during Medicaid cuts protest of Big Beautiful Bill - June 25, 2025. Scripps News - YouTube.
- Barrier Free Futures - current interviews of disability activists Bob Kafka.
- Devva's Room - What is Disability Studies? and First American Disability Movement - monthly speakers through December, 2025.
Events @ Emerging America
Info on Emerging America professional development events: upcoming presentations, past recordings and more.
August 20-22 - Disability History, Anti-Ableism, and Neurodiversity in Education - A 3-Day Workshop for Educators
In-person - Lincoln, Massachusetts - Overview of social and historical constructs of disability throughout history, social justice theory and ableism, as well as the disability rights movement, social justice pedagogies, and the neurodiversity movement provided by Shawna Young. Kate Benson and Easterseals Massachusetts will provide an in-depth look at U.S. disability history, classroom strategies, and resources including the Library of Congress and Emerging America’s K–12 curriculum. Learn more about the 3-day workshop.
To sign up, email Shawna Young <syoung@lincnet.org>. Workshop: $100. Attend all three days, just Day 1, or just Days 2-3. Receive a certificate of participation for 10 hours (Day 1) and 14 hours (for Days 2-3). Optional 1 grad credit in history from Westfield State University for Days 2-3 would be an additional $250.
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 September 18, 5:00-6:00pm Eastern Time. To join the group, email Rich Cairn - rcairn @ collaborative.org.
Recordings, transcript, slides & resources from the virtual Teaching Disability History Conference - 5:00-7:30pm
- Teaching Disability History VIRTUAL Conference page.
- Free conference for teachers, disability advocates, historians, higher education students and allied organizations. Supported by a Library of Congress Teaching with Primary Sources grant.
Other Events
In-person, unless noted. Hybrid = in-person and virtual options.
- August 12, Museum of Science - Boston. DisabilityTech: Innovation for an Accessible Future. Museum of Science and Perkins School.
- August 23 - Washington, DC - Social Justice Curriculum Fair - Teaching for Change.
- September 9, 11-12 Eastern Time - Back to School: Building Community and Critical Media Literacy - Facing History and Ourselves.
- September 22 - Investigating History Community Day - Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and Primary Source.
- Now open through December - Exhibit at Historic Northampton: Slavery & Freedom in Northampton, 1654-1783.
- January 24, 2026 - Orlando - Sources Conference - apply to present - University of Central Florida.
Teaching Resources
- How the Supreme Court Ruling in Obergefell v. Hodges Legalized Same-Sex Marriage - video and curriculum - RetroReport.
- What the World War II-Era Bracero Program Reveals About U.S. Immigration Debates - video and curriculum - RetroReport.
New at the Library of Congress
- Gardens of Branching Paths: Discovering Possible Worlds of Research at the Library of Congress.
- Closer Look: Chronicling America - Newspapers through American history.
- Also view the recording of Chronicling America staff discussing ways to find disability history resources: Research Guides - Library of Congress Chronicling America
- Resources for National History Day Projects.
- Closer Look: Library of Congress Research Guides.
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. Since September, 2024 items appear in an Emerging America blog page from the first of each month, with a monthly Constant Contact email notice to our 2,300+ subscribers. Sign up free at the bottom of the page.
We welcome your news & events!
- Published monthly 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.
- Register for CES events: https://www.collaborative.org/professional-development/events/.
- Teacher-created lessons, primary source sets, assessments, & teaching strategies at: http://EmergingAmerica.org.
- Follow Emerging America on LinkedIn and Facebook.
- Email rcairn @ collaborative.org to be removed from this list.
- Content created and featured in partnership with the Teaching with Primary Sources program does not indicate an endorsement by the Library of Congress.
Image Credits
- May, 1977. The Black Panther Party, page 1. The 504 Protests and the Black Panther Party. Courtesy Disability Social History Project.
- Selfie of Rich Cairn and participants at Teaching Disability History Conference, July 8, 2025.
