I recently started looking at my family history again, after my parents had done lots of work on their family trees earlier in the 21st Century. The power of the internet enabled me to search the national archives and find information about my maternal great-grandfather. I then realised I knew very little about my paternal grandparents, so I signed up for a free trial on a family history website to find out more. It didn't take me very long to find them in the 1901 and 1911 Censuses, and I was glad to learn more about them and their siblings. The free trial lasted for longer than I needed, so I explored the website more randomly to see what else it offered.

I found records of people sent to Bethlem Royal Hospital, other medical records, apprentice contracts, a school for orphans and a workhouse containing disabled people. Census searches for disabled people living at home with their families were also interesting - many had their profession listed as 'cripple'¹ but others had jobs, such as cigar making or shoe making, that didn't require them to be able to walk in order to earn money. Further searches found a caretaker at the Leicester Guild of Cripples, a charity now known as Mosaic 1898. That in turn led me to a film of Guild members going on holiday in 1934 - fascinating to see so many disabled people. It was also fascinating to see the variety of mobility equipment that the people used, such as Bath chairs (wicker chairs with wheels) and 'spinal carriages' (wheeled beds), and the activities, including sport, that they were able to participate in. Also impressive to see the purpose-built accessible holiday home that they visited - a forerunner of the access improvements that have taken place in the UK since laws such as the Disability Discrimination Act were introduced. It was a privilege for me to be able to view a part of disability history thanks to the internet.

Join the Q Archive

SashaQ

21.08.23 Front Page

Back Issue Page