Difference North East - Changing Perceptions of Disability
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Author: Elgan

Living Library Disability History Month 2025-2027. Were you there in 1995?

Living Library Disability History Month. Black-and-white photograph of members of the Disabled People’s Direct Action Network (DAN) protesting in the street in 1995, with wheelchair users and other disabled activists gathered beside a double-decker bus. The image has a grainy documentary style with bright yellow, cyan, and pink colour overlays, giving it a bold, archival activist poster aesthetic.

Were you there in 1995?
Difference North East wants to hear from Disabled people who were alive in the North East during the 1990s, when the Disability Discrimination Act was passed.
We are building a Living Library: a digital archive of recorded stories, available online and in libraries across the North East.
To take part you need to be a Disabled person born before 1990, living or working in the North East, and a free member of Difference North East.
You decide what you share. Nothing goes live without your approval.
Callout closes Friday 26 June 2026.
Email bex@differencenortheast.org.uk and allison@differencenortheast.org.uk

Researcher Callout – Researcher Disability Living Library Archive

Living Library Disability History Month. Black-and-white photograph of members of the Disabled People’s Direct Action Network (DAN) protesting in the street in 1995, with wheelchair users and other disabled activists gathered beside a double-decker bus. The image has a grainy documentary style with bright yellow, cyan, and pink colour overlays, giving it a bold, archival activist poster aesthetic.

Difference North East is looking for a Disabled researcher based in the North East to help uncover and preserve local disability history.
Working across 2026 and 2027, you’ll dig into archives held by local authorities and other institutions, exploring stories of figures like Mary Greaves, disability rights protests in the 1990s, and the history of workhouses and special schools in the region.
The role pays £275 per day for 10 days per year, funded by the National Lottery Heritage Grant.
Applications close midday 1st July 2026. Send a short expression of interest to bex@differencenortheast.org.uk and allison@differencenortheast.org.uk.

Share your PIP experience – Timms Review

Share your PIP experience Timms Review. A brightly colored, abstract image featuring a textured, multicolored overlay in yellow, blue, and purple tones over a suited figure and a piece of artwork.

Share your PIP experience Timms Review The government is reviewing Personal Independence Payment (PIP). We’re making sure disabled people’s real experiences are part of that conversation and we need to […]