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Disability in the Gilded Age and Progressive Era

Published on Tue, 06/11/2024

A man in a suit makes signs in American Sign Language.

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

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GBH: Teaching disability history in schools is 'long overdue,' advocates say

Published on Sat, 04/06/2024

people in wheelchairs, all facing the center, fill the room

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. 

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Disability History Is Essential History - 2023 Report on the Teaching of Disability History

Published on Tue, 09/05/2023

Many veterans and widows, all dressed in heavy coats and hats press the lone uniformed officer standing outside the U.S. Pensions Office. His billy club is raised.

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.

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Developing a K-12 Disability History Curriculum

Published on Tue, 08/01/2023

A photograph of President George H.W. Bush signing the Americans with Disabilities Act into law. He is seated at a table outside, there is a fountain in the background. Four other people surround the table, three men and one woman, two men are using wheelchairs. Justin Dart sits to the president's left, wearing his trademark cowboy hat, a suit, and a button that supports the ADA on his lapel.
Reform to Equal Rights is the first ever K-12 Disability History Curriculum. The curriculum supports history and civics teachers in all settings. Lessons can stand on their own. Or teachers can integrate selections from the 200+ primary sources, and/or accessible activities, into what they already teach on topics such as impacts of wars, immigration, social movements, and changing roles of government, from the early 19th century to the 21st. The time has come to incorporate this vital history into how we teach American history. 
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New Teaching Resource: Time Out – Spotlight Offensive Language in Primary Sources

Published on Thu, 04/27/2023

silhouetted hands make a T "time out" symbol above the words, "We need to hear and discuss offensive words that appear in primary sources."

Every unit of the Reform to Equal Rights: K-12 Disability History Curriculum includes an introduction to the topic of disability, including strategies to address disrespectful vocabulary. 

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Language-aware lesson example: Colonial Daily Life (3rd Grade)

Explore primary sources to learn about daily life in Colonial Massachusetts.

Students will practice with posing questions about primary source documents and then analyzing the resources to learn more about life in Colonial Massachusetts. Students will summarize their learning in the final lesson.

What was everyday life like for people who lived near the ocean in Massachusetts 250 years ago?

What can a newspaper tell us about the lives of men, women, and children in 1767 Massachusetts?

Focus skills include:

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