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Introducing Disability History to Teachers

Published on Tue, 04/21/2026

Two women pose outdoors in the midst of a gathering of people of varied abilities and ages. Both women are smiling, and both are white. Stella Young has short red hair swept over one temple. She is of short stature and uses an electric wheelchair. She wears a black dress. Jenny Macklin has short blond hair. She wears a sheer jacket and jacket and kneels by Young.

Disability History for Emerging Educators

Building Opportunities for Teacher Education Students to Engage with Disability History

Growing up, many of us did not have an opportunity to learn about disability history as part of our traditional K-12 curriculum when we were students. (We –the authors–did not learn about it until graduate school.) As adults and teachers, it can feel discouraging and potentially overwhelming to feel like we are lacking a foundation of knowledge to draw from–despite having an intention to learn and a desire to share it with students. 

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Historical Fiction: Setting Study through Primary Sources of the Novel Esperanza Rising

This two-day lesson is based on students acquiring a better understanding of the effects the Great Depression had on migrant workers and their children as portrayed in the novel: Esperanza Rising. The use of photographs, as primary sources, will support understanding of this time period, as well as provoking oral discussion among English Language Learner students. As a summative assessment, students are asked to write a paragraph explaining their increased understanding of the time period through the use of primary source documents.

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