Disability: A History of Resistance

by David M. Turner

A ground-breaking history of modern Britain that brings disabled experiences to the fore for the first time.

Notable medical developments, technological breakthroughs, increased visibility in popular culture and greater political representation all suggest that disabled people in Britain today are better off than those in centuries past. Or so we like to believe.

Spanning over 500 years of British history and unearthing countless untold tales and voices, David Turner shows how attitudes in the past were often more open than we assume. And where they were not, we see how disabled people and their allies have always demanded just treatment; whether petitioning for better community support in the sixteenth century, campaigning for integrated education in the nineteenth, or protesting inaccessible transport in the twenty-first, the fight for equality has deep historical roots.

Turning the spotlight on disabled people's histories - and appreciating their stories as ones of resistance, resourcefulness and resilience as well as suffering and hardship - has never been more urgent. Disability reveals the realities of disabled life in Britain across time so that we can fully understand our past - and the work we must do for a truly inclusive society moving forward.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Disability

400 pages, Hardcover

First published June 4, 2026

Reviews

[Dyfan Dyfans Dyfanson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Disability: A History of Resistance is a brilliant testament to the agency of disabled people throughout history. The author succeeds in bringing in many incredibly researched life stories into an accessible book that avoids any condescension and grasps the necessary nuance needed for positive change to happen. This book will definitely be influential.

[David Cutler · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful book which sets the standard for histories of disability. Limited almost entirely to the UK and to the last 500 years most of the book is concerned with mobility and sensory impairments with some attention to learning disabled people. It also layers this with race, gender, sexuality and class. It is very readable for the non-specialist, largely because it is a book stories told by disabled people about their lives drawing on a rich literature unknown to me at least. And as the title states, this is a history of resistance to an oppressive society with limitations on anyone different. Most touchingly this includes love and marriage.

Depressingly it needs to conclude on the struggles of an age of austerity and the continued need for resistance.

[Hannah Myers · Rating 5 out of 5]

As someone who was much more familiar with the American disability rights movement, it was a pleasure to learn about the British version. This book is extremely well researched and clearly written, and I learned a lot from it!

[Alice · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars. Very interesting.

[Ravenshadow · Rating 4 out of 5]

A solid and enjoyable book