By Alice Levine

Many teachers share books and videos with their students about Civil Rights, especially near MLK’s birthday in January and during Black History Month in February or as part of units of study in ELA or Social Studies.

Infusing Disability History into the Classroom

By Rich Cairn & Graham Warder

In Living with Disabilities in New England, 1630-1930

Dublin Seminar for New England Folklife 2021 Annual Proceedings.

5 Ways to Teach Disability History in Social Studies Class

Kara Newhouse - KQED - Mind/Shift

In this insightful article, Newhouse explores practical approaches and resources to integrating disability history into teaching about:

Guest post by Nancy Spannaus

Origin of the American System

It is common practice to present the American System of Economics as the invention of Kentucky politician Henry Clay, who served as a leading spokesman for that policy in the Federal government from 1806 to his death in 1852. But in his advocacy for the key components of the American System–Federal protection for manufactures, national banking, and Federal support for infrastructure–Clay was actually continuing the work of First Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton. 

By Rich Cairn, History, Civics & Social Studies Inclusion Specialist, CES

Teaching about Disability in the Gilded Age and Progressive Era

Slides from presentation by Rich Cairn at the virtual conference: A More Perfect Union: Exploring America's Story in the Gilded Age and Progressive Era, June 17, 2024

Guest post by Jacqueline LaFrance

GBH News - Boston published a story and accompanying quiz on the emerging movement to #TeachDisabilityHistory.

See the article at Teaching disability history in schools is 'long overdue,' advocates say. Teachers, community advocates, and resource leaders comment on developments in the growing field. Follow links to legislation from multiple states. 

Post by Rich Cairn and Ross Newton

"Court cases are great for teaching history because they often deal with concrete details from everyday life."

- Ross Newton, High School History teacher, HEC Academy. 

Explore the compelling stories of Civil War nurses and disabled veterans.

How did their experiences change America? 

Visit the new online exhibit: How Civil War Veterans Transformed Disability.

Emerging America 2023 Survey on the Teaching of Disability History

By Rich Cairn, Emerging America

At the end of the 2021-2022 and 2022-2023 school years, Emerging America widely promoted an online survey of teachers to discover how much they teach disability history. Though the response has been small, the results offer intriguing insights.