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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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“Why didn’t they teach me this?” Preliminary Report on the Teaching of Disability History

Published on Mon, 09/12/2022

A woman in a wheelchair with an American flag, sunglasses, and a bullhorn rides down the middle of a rural highway followed by an elected official in a pickup truck.

By Rich Cairn, Emerging America

At the end of the 2021-2022 school year, Emerging America widely promoted an online survey of teachers to discover how much U.S. students are taught Disability History. Though the response was small, the results offer intriguing insights. The survey will repeat in 2023 and 2024. 

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