Thu, 05/15/2025
Note: We will keep this page live permanently. Find recordings, slides, chat, transcript, links and other resources from the conference below.
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. Closed.
- It's not too early to register for the July 8 Teaching Disability History Conference on the campus of Keene State College, Keene, New Hampshire.
April 15 Conference Program
5:00pm Eastern Time
- 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.
5:30pm Eastern Time
- New Research Guides on Disability History for Students Grades 7-12: *Graham Warder, Associate Professor of History, Keene State College.
- Searching Chronicling America for Disability History Resources - Megan Metcalf and Kerry Huller, Library of Congress. Chronicling America. Topics in Chronicling America Research Guides.
6:00pm Eastern Time
- 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, with Teresa Wojcik, Francesca Violante, Marissa Todd and Angelica Sendrowski, reporting on Disability in Secondary Social Studies: A Mixed-Methods Study of New Jersey Teacher Practices and Perspectives.
- Discussion of the Film: Disposable Humanity: David Mitchell, Disability Studies professor and Cameron Mitchell, filmmaker on this new film about the Nazi Aktion T4 program of systematic murder of children and adults with disabilities.
7:00pm Eastern Time
- 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!
7:30pm Eastern Time
- Close
*Find biographies of Emerging America Team members: Benson, Cairn, Murphy, Newton & Warder.
Conference Materials
Recordings - Chat - Transcript
- Recordings (program details are above):
- 5:00-5:30pm - Introduction - Models of Disability - Disability Justice
- 5:30-6:00pm - Research Guides - Library of Congress Chronicling America
- 6:00-7:00pm - Teachers Panel - Report on Disability in Secondary Social Studies - Filmmakers of Disposable Humanity
- 7:00-7:30pm - American Lesson Plan Report - Curriculum & Other Resources
- Alternate link to recordings: There are 4. To see recordings 2-4, advance to the end of each recording. Passcode: 9Xhb$74!
- Transcript. By White Coat Captioning.
- Zoom Chat
Slides
- Overall conference slides. Rich Cairn.
- Library of Congress - Chronicling America.
- What is Taught? What Do Teachers Need? slides. Disability in Secondary Social Studies:
A Mixed-Methods Study of New Jersey Teacher Practices and Perspectives. Nicole Hansen, et al.
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).
Conference Sponsors
