Disability History and Culture Calendar
{Image description: calendar page tilted at an angle, reading glasses rest on the bottom corner of the calendar} Photo by Olya Kobruseva from Pexels
A calendar of events that recognizes various days and months is a powerful and easy way to bring the conversation about disability into your classrooms, schools, and homes. Including discussion of disabled people throughout the year sends a message to all that disabled students are recognized and valued as a part of the community.
Coming Soon: Monthly slide decks are here.
Monthly slide decks will soon be available for the full school year, September through May, with more dates and entries being added throughout the year. The decks are built for real classroom life. If you have five minutes, you have enough time to share a slide, spark a conversation, and give students a moment of representation and history they might not get anywhere else. Teacher guidance, discussion prompts, and connections to DEE lessons are built in.
Pick a month below and you'll find opportunities that last all month as well as those that are date specific. Bring them up in school-wide morning announcements, newsletters, and individual classrooms.
*coming soon*
Monthly Slide Decks
Ready to use in your classroom, no prep required.
Each deck is also linked in its specific month below, but you can find them all here.
Opportunities to recognize and discuss disability all year long
Also check out these calendars:
A comprehensive list of disability awareness dates, observances, and months from Meriah Nichols
A 365-day calendar of notable disabled people and key moments in disability history, compiled by Katie Healey of Accessible Higher Ed
Lessons and Resources
Below are collections of books, lessons, and resources addressing specific disability communities or intersections of disability that may be useful throughout the year or to enhance a lesson or concept you are already including. If there’s an intersection you’d like to see we haven’t gotten to yet, please let us know.
Asian/Pacific Islander
May is Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month
Black History
February is Black History Month
Hispanic Heritage
September 15 - October 15th is Hispanic Heritage Month
Indigenous People
Indigenous People’s Day is the 2nd Monday of October.
Women’s History
March is Women’s History Month
Autism Acceptance
April is Autism Acceptance Month
Blindness and Braille Information
January 4 is World Braille Day
February is Low Vision Awareness Month
September is National Service Dog Month
October 8 is World Blind Day / World Sight Day
October 15 - White Cane Day
Deaf Culture and History
February is Deaf History Month
September is Deaf Awareness Month
September 23 is International Day of Sign Languages
Disability History and Culture
Lessons and books about the history and culture of disabled people.
Presidents’ Day
Presidents’ Day is observed on the third Monday of February
In addition to the lesson plans and resources above…
We have other programs and resources to help you grow the conversations about disability in your classroom and throughout the school.
In order to support you as you use the resources found here as well as others you may come across, or those you create yourself, we offer a variety of ways to get that support and training including our Membership Area and Professional Development in both live, customized as well as on-demand offerings
Be sure to check out our collection of other educational resources that we encourage you to explore and use in your classes as well.