Every year, UK Disability History Month (UKDHM) offers an opportunity to recognise the history, achievements, and ongoing struggles of disabled people. Running from 14 November to 20 December 2025, this important annual event invites individuals, organisations, and communities to celebrate progress while confronting the barriers that remain.
For those working in elderly and disability care, such as at Oxford House, UKDHM is a time to reflect on the lived experiences of disabled older adults, people who have not only endured but also helped shape decades of change in society’s understanding of disability and inclusion.
UK Disability History Month was first recognised by the UK Parliament in 2010, following a motion signed by 79 MPs. The month was established to highlight the historical and social challenges faced by disabled people, to celebrate their contributions, and to promote equal rights and inclusion across every aspect of life.
Disability and the Elderly
Among the most affected by societal attitudes toward disability are elderly individuals living with chronic health conditions or long-term impairments. Many of them have lived through eras when accessibility, inclusion, and equality were little more than distant ideals. Yet their resilience and stories of endurance remind us why progress in disability rights is not simply a matter of law, but of humanity.
In healthcare and social care settings, this means ensuring that older adults with disabilities are treated with respect, dignity, and empathy. Their lives must not be reduced to medical diagnoses or physical limitations, but celebrated for their knowledge, contributions, and individuality.
At Oxford House, we believe that disability inclusion is inseparable from quality elderly care. Supporting older people with impairments is not just about physical assistance, it’s about empowering independence, providing emotional support, and creating environments where every person feels valued.
Learning from the Past to Build a More Inclusive Future
Historically, disabled people were often marginalised or institutionalised, subjected to eugenicist policies and medical discrimination that denied their humanity. Even in the 20th century, false scientific ideas led to forced sterilisation, lifelong confinement, and exclusion from public life across much of the world, including the UK.
UKDHM reminds us that these injustices were not distant anomalies, they shaped modern attitudes toward disability. By understanding this history, we are better placed to dismantle the prejudices that persist today. The “social model” of disability, which underpins UKDHM, teaches us that it is not impairment itself that disables people, but the barriers society creates. Whether physical, attitudinal, or systemic, these obstacles can, and must, be removed.
The ongoing gap in employment, healthcare access, and social opportunities for disabled people shows that there is more work to do. Statistics reveal that the disability unemployment rate remains nearly double that of non-disabled people, while discrimination and exclusion remain widespread.
For elderly people, these inequalities can be compounded by ageism, isolation, and declining health. UKDHM encourages us to challenge these intersecting issues, ensuring that older disabled adults can live fulfilling, independent, and dignified lives. UK Disability History Month is not only about remembrance, it’s about responsibility. As a society, we must continue to challenge discrimination, improve accessibility, and promote equality in every sphere of life.