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UK Disability History Month (DHM) is in full swing and runs this year from 16 November until 16 December 2022. The theme for this year’s DHM is disability, health and wellbeing.

Last year I wrote a blog post discussing what UK DHM is, it’s importance and outlined some remarkable disabled people in history. All of which is still relevant and you can still learn from.

This year, I’ll be discussing this year’s theme and what it means. 

Theme: disability, health and wellbeing

This year, UK DHM explores how disabled people face barriers that affect their health and wellbeing.

There’s been a widespread approach by society to view disabled people through the medical model of disability. This model of disability defines people who are disabled by their impairments or differences. It looks at what’s ‘wrong’ with the person and not what the person needs. UK DHM explains that using the medical approach towards disability creates more barriers for disabled people when it comes to accessing the appropriate healthcare. In turn, this compromises their overall health and ultimately leads to disabled people being at greater risk of poorer general health.

Note: It’s now widely campaigned that the social model of disability should be used instead. This model says that people are disabled by barriers in society, not by their impairment or difference.

The covid pandemic highlighted these very issues, demonstrating how fragile the rights are for disabled people. There were some shocking statistics reported on the mortality rates of disabled people compared to non-disabled people. One of them being that the Office for National Statistics found that six in 10 covid deaths were of people with a disability.

In addition, in February 2021 it was reported that people with learning disabilities were given 'do not resuscitate' orders during the second wave of the pandemic. This is shocking discrimination and highlights how the human rights of disabled people are ridden over by politicians, medical professionals or the population in general.

The findings and statistics above are incredibly appalling and this shouldn’t be happening in the 21st Century. We’re therefore both individually and as a collective responsible. We need to work towards removing the barriers disabled people face in society and ensuring the human rights of disabled people are protected.

Put simply, UK DHM further examines the history of the disabled community and provides examples of how this denial of human rights can and will be reversed. You can read more on the DHM website.

In my next blog post, I’ll be discussing how each of us can take better steps to becoming a disability ally within the legal world and beyond.