Teaching Disability History VIRTUAL Conference - April 15, 2025

A black woman, Lois Curtis smiles brillilantly as she holds up two of her paintings, one of her and one of her lawyer in the Olmstead v. L.C. case. She is in the Oval Office.

Tue, 04/15/2025

April 15, 2025 - Teach Disability History VIRTUAL Conference - 5:00-7:30 pm Eastern Time

Share ideas and challenges and meet colleagues from across the U.S.
K-12 teachers, instructors of pre-service teachers, disability historians, disability studies educators, and disability rights advocates from across the U.S. will meet online to discuss ways to expand and strengthen the teaching of stories of disability history in K-12 schools.
Access a wealth of K-12 curriculum from across the U.S.
Free thanks to a grant from the Library of Congress Teaching with Primary Sources program.

Register for the April 15 virtual conference.

Program

Models of Disability across History: *Rich Cairn, founder Emerging America & lead author Reform to Equal Rights.
Disability Justice: *Saphire Murphy, community educator and disability representation scholar.
Searching Chronicling America for Disability History Resources - Megan Metcalf and Kerry Huller, Library of Congress.
New Research Guides on Disability History for Students Grades 7-12: *Graham Warder, Associate Professor of History, Keene State College.
Discussion of the Film: Disposable Humanity: Cameron Mitchell, filmmaker on this new film about the Nazi Aktion T4 program of systematic murder of children and adults with disabilities.

A collage of three teachers, a white woman with long hair and glasses, a white man with a dark beard and glasses, and a white man with a white beard and glasses wearing a coat and stocking cap — Teachers Benson, Newton & Warder

How We Teach Disability History: Panel of veteran teachers in K-12 and college: *Ross Newton, high school history teacher, HEC Academy; *Kate Benson, Special Education professional and President of the Belchertown State School Friends Association; *Graham Warder, Associate Professor of History, Keene State College.
What Is Taught? What Do Teachers Need?: Nicole Hansen, Seton Hall University, reporting on Disability in Secondary Social Studies: A Mixed-Methods Study of New Jersey Teacher Practices and Perspectives.
What Is Happening Coast to Coast?: Whit Barringer, American Historical Association: American Lesson Plan - Report on what is actually taught in history class. *Rich Cairn, Emerging America. State mandates and state support for teaching disability history.
Curriculum & Teaching Resources: Sharon Pennock, Disability Equality Education; Patricia Chadwick, Disability Social History Project; *Rich Cairn, Reform to Equal Rights: K-12 Disability History Curriculum; and more!

*Find biographies of Emerging America Team members: Benson, Cairn, Murphy, Newton & Warder.

Learn More About the Teaching Disability History Project

Keene State College (KSC) received a Library of Congress Teaching with Primary Sources (TPS) project grant in October, 2024. Read about the Teaching Disability History project at Keene State College, supported by a Library of Congress Teaching with Primary Sources grant.
Learn more about out in-person conference, July 8, 2025 at Keene State College in Keene, New Hampshire.

Photo of Lois Curtis at the White House showing some of her paintings. Photo by Robin Rayne/ZUMA. (2011). From The Art of Autism, article by Angela Weddle. (2022).