Disability : A History of Resistance

Publisher: Bodley Head
Publish date: 4 June 2026
Pages: 400
Binding: Hardcover
Language: English

Subjects: History, Europe, Great Britain, Social History, Disability, Social Science, Discrimination

A ground-breaking history of modern Britain that brings disabled experiences to the fore for the first time. Notable medical developments, technological breakthroughs, increased visibility in popular culture and greater political representation all suggest that disabled people in Britain today are better off than those in centuries past. Or so we like to believe. Spanning over 500 years of British history and unearthing countless untold tales and voices, David Turner shows how attitudes in the past were often more open than we assume. And where they were not, we see how disabled people and their allies have always demanded just treatment; whether petitioning for better community support in the sixteenth century, campaigning for integrated education in the nineteenth, or protesting inaccessible transport in the twenty-first, the fight for equality has deep historical roots. Turning the spotlight on disabled people's histories - and appreciating their stories as ones of resistance, resourcefulness and resilience as well as suffering and hardship - has never been more urgent. Disability reveals the realities of disabled life in Britain across time so that we can fully understand our past - and the work we must do for a truly inclusive society moving forward.