The Higgins Bedford calls for community stories for UK Disability History Month

UK Disability History Month (UKDHM) is an annual event that serves as a platform to focus on the history of people living with a disability and their struggle for equality and human rights. It raises awareness of the history of inequalities people with disabilities have encountered and continue to face today.

This year, Disability History Month runs from 18 November to 18 December and focuses on the theme of 'Access: How far have we come? How far have we to go?'

To recognise the contributions people have made, and the challenges they have faced, The Higgins Bedford is asking residents of Bedford Borough to share stories of their own experiences of living with a disability, which can be added to their collection.

With this new contemporary collection of personal stories, The Higgins Bedford hopes to be able to collaborate with local people and community groups that work with people with disabilities, and to share these with the wider local community in the future through a variety of media that would be as inclusive as possible.

UK Disability History Month is an important event and is a time for everyone to reflect on the inequalities that people with disabilities have faced in the past and still continue to face. We have made great progress in recent years but as a society, there is still more work to do. With this year's theme focusing on access, it is an excellent opportunity for everyone to think about how we can continue to make Bedford Borough more inclusive.

If you have a personal story, photographs, video, objects or other contributions related to your own experiences of living with disabilities that you would like to tell us about and potentially offer as a donation, please email Lydia Saul, Keeper of Social History at The Higgins Bedford at Lydia.Saul@bedford.gov.uk for further information.