UK Disability History and Heritage Hub

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How do we investigate disability history and heritage? What changes and challenges have there been within this landscape over the past few years?

In this episode Beckie Rutherford speaks to Alexandra F. Morris, Louise Bell and Samuel Brady, three of the co-founders of the UK Disability History and Heritage Hub. Established in 2022, the Hub is a collaborative space for anyone interested in Disabled, Neurodiverse, and D/deaf histories, from the ancient world to the modern era.

This roundtable discussion reflects on issues of tokenism and access barriers within academia and the heritage sector, as well as the processes of researching, teaching and communicating disability history.

A group photo of the five co-founders of the UK Disability History and Heritage Hub. Four white women wearing bright floral clothes are stood together and smiling at the camera. One white man is stood closely behind them and is also smiling at the camera. Next to the group is a poster for an exhibition called “Nothing About Us Without Us”. — UK Disability History and Heritage Hub co-founders visiting the ‘Nothing About Us Without Us’ exhibition at the People’s History Museum (L-R: Kirstie Stage, Alexandra F. Morris, Samuel Brady, Louise Bell and Alice Conibere)

UK Disability History and Heritage Hub logo

Beckie Rutherford

Beckie Rutherford (she/her) is an Editorial Fellow at History Workshop. She is a historian of gender, sexuality and disability in modern Britain with a particular interest in the politicisation of disability from 1970 to the present day. Beckie completed her PhD at the University of Warwick in 2023 and was the RHS Centenary Fellow at the Institute of Historical Research 2022-23. Outside of academic work, she is keen to promote the importance of teaching disability history in schools. She shares her research @BeckieRuthrford.

Alexandra F. Morris

Alexandra F. Morris is an Egyptologist and disability activist. She is currently an Associate Lecturer in Heritage and the Humanities at the University of Lincoln (UK), an Honorary Research Fellow at the University of Nottingham (UK), Access Guide with Diversity and Ability, and Tutor with the Egypt Exploration Society, and the Brilliant Club. Her research is on disability in ancient Egypt and creating inclusive museums. Alexandra is also a co-founder and current team member of the UK Disability History and Heritage Hub, Co-Chair of CripAntiquity, Co-Chair of Communications for the Board of Directors of the Museum Education Roundtable, serves on the Editorial Board for Asterion Hub, and is Chair of the Lewisboro, NY Advisory Committee for the Disabled. She has cerebral palsy and dyspraxia. She shares her research on Twitter (X) and BlueSky.

Louise Bell

Louise Bell is an AHRC CDP-funded PhD researcher at the University of Leeds and The National Archives. Her work focuses broadly on limbless ex-servicemen in the two world wars and the artificial limbs provided for them – essentially exploring the journey from amputation to the work undertaken in limb fitting centres to post-war life and the lived experiences of some of these men. She is one of the co-founders of the UK Disability History and Heritage Hub (and does all the social media, so come follow us on Twitter @UKDisHistHub). She is also one of the PGR reps for the Social History Society. Louise can be found on Twitter @LouBell.

Samuel Brady

Samuel Brady is the Collections Engagement Officer for the National Paralympic Heritage Trust, and a casual researcher at Loughborough University. In 2024, he completed his PhD, an AHRC CDP project with the University of Glasgow and the National Paralympic Heritage Trust. His research explored the social, political, and technological history of sporting wheelchairs. Sam also co-organised the conference Invisible & Under-Represented? Disability History, Objects & Heritage in March 2022, and is a voluntary editor for the Disability History Association’s blog, All of Us. Also is also a team member of the Jewish Historical Society of England’s New Generation Group, and is a co-founder of the UK Disability History and Heritage Hub.

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