A Creative Exploration aimed at Young Disabled People across the UK

UK Disability History Month (UKDHM) are asking Young Disabled people to share their experiences, whatever school or college they attend/attended. UKDHM 2023 will explore how Young Disabled people have been treated in the past and currently to help shape our ideas of how we should be treated and valued in the future. As part of a new exploration, we want the good, the bad and the changes they would like to see.

If you are a Young Disabled person, a parent or work with Young Disabled people, please encourage them to take part in Exploration 2023.

Background

The theme of United Kingdom Disability History Month in 2023 is ‘Disability, Childhood and Youth.’ As 2023 is the Commonwealth Year of Youth, it is a fitting time to examine how Young Disabled people are experiencing life.

With the disability rights of the Equality Act, protection from discrimination, harassment and the right to reasonable adjustments, things should have improved. The signing (2007) and ratification (2009) of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities by our government, should have led to  a paradigm shift in the UK, from the medical model/deficit thinking to a social/human rights-based model of empowerment and equality.

In reality, the goal of inclusive education and equality appears further away. There is a large increase in segregated provision; bullying and hate crime towards Disabled people continues to increase. Intolerance of physical and mental difference by a minority remains high, as financial and economic difficulties lead to more political scapegoating.

However, there are also thousands of examples where ordinary people’s humanity challenges prejudice and breaks down barriers to promote acceptance and to value difference.

Submitting an entry

Entries can take any creative form, including poetry, prose, artwork, film (MP4 file) and signing, and will be judged in four age groups (from under 8 years, 8 to 12 years, 12 to 16 year and 16 to 25 years). Whatever your type or degree of impairment, please enter.

Submissions can be by an individual or a group. Details, resources to develop thinking from a social/human rights point of view and an application can be found on the UKDHM website. The thinking in entries needs to be from the young people themselves.

The panel of judges include: Mike Rosen, Colleen Johnson (NEU Executive), Yewande Akintelu-Omoniyi (ALLFIE), Disability campaigners and teachers.

Entries must be submitted with an application form and an electronic high-resolution version of their entry to susie@ukdhm.org by Tuesday 31st October.

Richard Rieser UKDHM Coordinator