This week we recommend you to take a listen to a very special radio series:

BBC Radio 4 along with journalist Peter White have explored the history of disability in the 18^th and 19^th century.

In 12 episodes “Disability: A New History” draws on a wealth of new research by historians across the country and sources including letters, diaries, advertisements, etc. – all of which reveal how people with disabilities used to live before the 20^th century and the evolution of technology.

Throughout the series many different voices and stories are heard: A man who claims he is the “only dwarf in Liverpool”; deaf children writing home from institutions; a wounded soldier, struggling to walk with a wooden leg; a society beauty disfigured by smallpox; and “freaks” who made a fortune exploiting their extraordinary bodies on the streets of London.

A variety of voices

A good example of this is found in episode 7, “Wooden Legs and Wheelchairs”, where Peter White comes across an old wooden leg and asks who got access to new technology in the 19th century.

Surprisingly, wooden legs were thought to be sexy in the 19th century: During the 22 years of war with France, tens of thousands of British soldiers and sailors gave their lives for their country, and for those who came injured back home to their families a missing limb symbolised their act of valour. 

But while military men had some privileges and were lucky enough to have access to technology, the disabled women of the day were not so lucky. They would often be confined to the house, unable to leave their houses sometimes even their bedrooms.

The link

Other episodes are “Beauty and deformity”, “Freaks and Entrepreneurs” and “Sex and Marriage”, and all 12 of them can be found on BBC iPlayer click here to listen to them. 

You can also check out our new addition to our Facebook timeline, where you can now find breakthroughs in the history of adapted technology.

We also ask you: Do you know other good places to learn about the history of disability?