Disability History Month

Welcome Page

Section One: Reframing the Narrative

Section Two: Inclusion Year-Round

Section Three: Ideas for Any Disability Event

Section Four: Four District-Recognized Disability/Inclusion Events and Ways to Celebrate

• Disability Awareness (Any Time)
• National Bullying Prevention Month and Unity Day (October)
• Inclusive Schools Week (First Week of December)
• Disability History Month (March)

Disability History Month spotlights the history of the Disability Rights Movement and the achievements of disabled people.

Disability History Month is celebrated at different times of the year internationally, but in Conejo Valley USD, we celebrate in March.

It is important for all students to learn about disabled icons, heroes and trailblazers and for students with disabilities to see themselves in the context of history and history-makers.

It is different from Disability Pride Month, which is celebrated every July to commemorate the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

Check out this article for a history of the Disability Rights Movement.

From the 504 Sit-In to the Capitol Crawl and the Americans with Disabilities Act

This short slide deck that explains why we celebrate Disability History Month and highlights available resources in the toolkit. The slide deck also contains five slides spotlighting disabled heroes, icons and trailblazers, with links to additional information about each person. These slides are ready to share in the classroom!

If you are new to learning or teaching about disability history and disabled leaders, knowing how and where to start can be a bit overwhelming. This article from We Are Teachers provides five ideas for teaching students about disability history.

Both Disability History Month and Women's History Month are celebrated in March in Conejo Valley USD. Why not choose a disabled woman well known for her contributions to civil rights, the arts, science, sports or politics as the focus for a lesson?

Teach your students about scientists with disabilities who have made an impact in their fields.

• Stephen Hawking is known for groundbreaking work on black holes and relativity.
• Astrophysicist Wanda Díaz-Merced developed a method to study the stars using sound.
• John McFall is a surgeon and the first para-astronaut in the history of the space program!
  

Growing up in Puerto Rico, Wanda Díaz Merced wanted to learn everything about the stars. But in college she started losing her sight. How could she study what she couldn't see? Wanda found a way. She learned to hear the stars using sonification, which converts data into sounds. Listening to those chimes and drumbeats, she made new discoveries about the universe. Today, Wanda leads the way as an advocate for inclusive science and has travelled the world to study and to promote equality of access to astronomy. This book is a 2026 Schneider Family Book Award winner!

Book Information

Teacher Guide

While there are many leaders in the Disability Rights Movement that have made a significant impact, these four trailblazers changed the world for people with disabilities. Whether by advocating for the passage and enforcement of civil rights laws or by creating entire movements around accessibility and inclusion, these history-makers helped disabled people find their place in a society that had often shut them out.

Judy Heumann was an internationally recognized advocate for the rights of disabled people. She was widely regarded as “the mother” of the Disability Rights Movement.

In 1977, Judy was a leader in the historic 504 Sit-In in San Francisco. This 26-day protest (the longest sit-in at a federal building to date) led to Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act being signed into law.

Judy was instrumental in the development and implementation of other legislation including the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, and the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. These pieces of legislation have been integral in advancing the inclusion of disabled people in the US and around the world.

Ed Roberts was an international leader and educator in the independent living and disability rights movements. He fought throughout his life to enable all persons with disabilities to fully participate in society. Ed was a true pioneer: he was the first student with significant disabilities to attend UC Berkeley. He was a founder of UC’s Physically Disabled Students Program, which became the model for Berkeley’s Center for Independent Living (CIL) and over 400 independent living centers across the country.

After Ed's death, disability community leaders decided to commemorate Ed’s work by creating a center to support the organizations that he helped start and the Independent Living Movement that he championed. Today, the Ed Roberts Campus is a national and international model dedicated to disability rights, access and universal design.

Justin Dart, Jr., recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, advocated for human and disability rights in the United States and other nations for over five decades. A passionate leader in the disability rights movement, he was an instrumental force behind the historic Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), a landmark law protecting the civil rights of persons with disabilities.

Justin and his wife Yoshiko visited each of the fifty United States at least five times to advocate for the passage and implementation of the ADA, and the empowerment of people with disabilities.

On July 26, 1990, President George H.W. Bush signed the Americans with Disabilities Act into law on the Whitehouse lawn. With Justin Dart on the stage beside him, the last words President Bush spoke before signing the document into law were, “let the shameful wall of exclusion finally come tumbling down.”

Lois Curtis was a disability activist and artist whose Supreme Court case fundamentally changed the lives of Americans with disabilities.

As a child, Lois was diagnosed with cognitive and developmental disabilities, and she was committed to a hospital at age eleven, a common practice at the time. The hospital treated Lois like a patient with an emotional or mental disorder, not like a child with developmental challenges. As an adult, Lois was determined to make a life for herself outside of the hospital. She met a lawyer from the Atlanta Legal Aid Society, and asked, "Would you please get me out of here?"

Legal Aid filed a lawsuit, and another plaintiff named Elaine was added. The Olmstead case went all the way to the Supreme Court, and the court ruled that, under the ADA, the state of Georgia discriminated against Lois and Elaine for requiring them to live in a hospital. The state was required to provide services for them to live in the community, which paved the way for many people with disabilities to leave institutions and live as they wished.

Known on social media as @SFdirewolf, Alice Wong was an author and the founder of the Disability Visibility Project, an online community that fosters and amplifies disability media and culture. A Chinese-American activist and writer, Wong fought for access and representation for people with disabilities from all backgrounds. In 2020, Time magazine recognized Wong as one of 16 notable people fighting for equality in America.

Discover the lives of outstanding people, from artists to scientists to activists. This biography series for children shares each person's journey as a story, with facts and photos sections in the back. The people from the series that are featured in this Toolkit have both visible and invisible disabilities, and these trailblazers made a big impact on the world around them.

Some of the books have an accompanying Teacher's Guide.

• Maya Angelou, Speaker, writer and civil rights activist, Teacher Guide

• Simone Biles, GOAT of gymnastics and mental health advocate

• Louis Braille, Inventor of Braille, the tactile reading and writing system

• Amanda Gorman, America's first National Youth Poet Laureate
  

• Stephen Hawking, Genius physicist and author

• Frida Kahlo, One of the most famous artists of the 20th Century, Teacher Guide

• Helen Keller, First Deafblind person to earn a university degree

• Wilma Mankiller, First woman elected as Chief of the Cherokee Nation, civil rights activist

• Ed Sheeran, Talented lyricist, one of the most successful singer-songwriters of his generation

• Greta Thunberg, Climate activist, Teacher Guide

• Harriet Tubman, Underground Railroad conductor and activist, Teacher Guide
  

• Stevie Wonder, Musical prodigy and pioneering singer-songwriter, Teacher Guide

This is the true story of the people who helped make every public school a more inclusive place.

There was a time in the United States when millions of children with disabilities weren't allowed to go to public school. But in 1971, seven kids and their families wanted to do something about it. They knew that every child had a right to an equal education, so they went to court to fight for that right. The case Mills v. Board of Education of the District of Columbia led to laws ensuring children with disabilities would receive a free, appropriate public education. Told in the voice of Janine Leffler, one of the millions of kids who went to school because of these laws, this book shares the true story of this landmark case. Read aloud video

This picture book biography celebrates the life and work of disability rights activist and icon Judith Heumann and highlights one of her landmark achievements — leading the historic 504 Sit-In in 1977. Along with a personal reflection from Judy herself, this book captures the impact and influence of one of America’s greatest activists. Read aloud video

This picture book tells the story of Temple Grandin, a world-renowned science hero. When Temple was diagnosed as autistic as a child, no one expected her to talk, let alone become one of the most powerful voices in modern science. Yet her unique mind and visual thinking helped her do just that!

Read aloud video

Collection of Printable Resources and Lessons for the Book

This illustrated biography of Jennifer Keelan-Chaffins, the activist who joined the disability rights movement at age 6, tells the story of her struggle for inclusion and equity, in school and on the steps of the US Capitol. Her actions helped spur the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Read aloud video

Additional information about Jennifer and the book

Common Core-Aligned Educator Guide for Grades 1-5

This anthology of short biographies explores the lives of 34 disabled "artists, thinkers, athletes and activists from past and present." Presented from a social model, this book shares the stories of some well known and some not so well known people with disabilities who have made an impact on the world. (Written for Second to Seventh Grades) Audiobook preview

Judith Scott was a textile artist with Down syndrome. She was deaf, and she never learned to speak. Judith was institutionalized until her sister Joyce reunited with her later in life and enrolled her in an art class. Judith went on to become an artist of renown with her work displayed in museums and galleries around the world.

Art Lesson by Autum Sasala, Conejo Valley USD Art Teacher

Begin by watching a read aloud video or reading the book Unbound: The Life + Art of Judith Scott.

Materials:

• Cardboard
• Scissors
• Sharpies
• Variety of yarn, string, beads, buttons, feathers, silk flowers and other tactile materials

Directions:

• Each student gets 1 piece of cardboard. TK-K use rectangle with pre-cut notches around edges. Grades 1-5 may cut a shape out of their cardboard and add notches around edge with scissors. (Use pencil to draw outline of shape before cutting.)

• To start: take one end of a string and place it in a notch in the cardboard. This will hold it in place while the student winds the string around the cardboard base.
• Continue this method using various colors and textures of yarn and string. Have students wind, weave, and tie string around cardboard in any direction they want. Use notches to grab the strings to secure as needed. Strings shouldn't need tying because the notches will hold everything tight but the kids may tie, braid, weave, etc. their string/yarn.
• Use beads and other materials as desired to thread onto string during weavings. They can do this in any method they want. Have fun and be creative!
• There is no specific end result for this project. Let the kids explore the materials in their own way. Younger kids may need help with cutting string or threading beads. No limit on how much string/yarn they want to use!
• Don't forget names! Provide sharpies to add each student's name to their cardboard base.

• Display your students' art in a gallery, like the one pictured here from Laurie White's third grade class at Madroña Elementary in Conejo Valley USD.
  

Check out Madroña's Instagram Post for more photos of their amazing textile sculpture gallery!

The first Deafblind person to graduate from Harvard Law School, Haben Girma is an award-winning advocate, bestselling author, and keynote speaker. She earned the Helen Keller Achievement Award, reached Forbes 30 under 30, and President Obama named her a White House Champion of Change. Haben travels the globe teaching organizations how to build stronger, resilient, and more connected communities.

A successful actress, musician, philanthropist and entrepreneur, Selena Gomez is the most followed woman on Instagram. She is also a well known advocate for mental health, having shared openly about her journey with lupus and bipolar disorder. A few years ago, Selena founded Wondermind, an inclusive online space where people could explore and navigate their feelings and practice mental fitness.

Samuel Habib is a community college student and the Emmy Award-winning co-director of the New York Times Op-Doc "My Disability Roadmap" and the feature documentary "The Ride Ahead." Samuel uses a wheelchair for mobility and a communication device (as well as his voice) to express himself. His films focus on adulting-while-disabled and the idea that people with disabilities demand respect and rights.

Diagnosed with a learning disability in the third grade, LeDerick Horne integrates his dynamic spoken-word poetry to ignite conversations on equal opportunity, pride and self-determination. Grandson of a prominent civil rights leader in New Jersey, he utilizes his poetic gift to champion hope for those with disabilities as a compelling advocate and speaker. LeDerick has also created a series of videos celebrating Black History and People with Disabilities.

In 2020, Jennifer Lee was diagnosed with an autoimmune condition after a grueling journey of trial-and-error diagnoses. It turns out that her Asian American identity is one reason why it took so long for her to receive a diagnosis — her gastroenterologist hadn’t previously thought to test for a condition that was thought to be more common in Caucasians. This sparked her innate passion for exploring the intersection between disability and Asian American identity and led her to found the Asian Americans with Disabilities Initiative.

The images below can be shared on any school or club social media platform as a multi-image post highlighting a disabled hero, icon or trailblazer for Disability History Month. The stories can also be used for a school's morning announcements, weekly newsletters or posts on Canvas.

Use the hashtags #DisabilityHistoryMonth and #DisabililtyPride.

Have students research people with disabilities who are leaders, activists, athletes, artists, innovators and trailblazers. Students can share what they learn by writing an essay, song or poem, by making a video or social media post or by creating an art piece.

Disabled Heroes, Icons and Trailblazers: Rabbi Ruth Adar, Maya Angelou, Elena Ashmore, Bobbie Lea Bennett, President Joe Biden, Simone Biles, Megan Bomgaars, Lydia X. Z. Brown, Octavia Butler, Ollie Cantos, Justin W. Chappell, John Clarke, Rebecca Cokley, Anderson Cooper, Alaqua Cox, Lois Curtis, Justin Dart, Dekanawida, August de los Reyes, Wanda Díaz-Merced, Nyle DiMarco, Senator Tammy Duckworth, Josh Feldman, Micah Fowler, Haben Girma, Selena Gomez, Amanda Gorman, Zack Gottsagen, Temple Grandin, Samuel Habib, Stephen Hawking, Judy Heumann, Tom Holland, LeDerick Horne, Cinda Hughes, Andy Imperato, Mia Ives-Rublee, Cody Jones, Barbara Jordan, Frida Kahlo, Jennifer Keelan-Chaffins, Emily Ladau, James LeBrecht, Jennifer Lee, Brad Lomax, Demi Lovato, Wilma Mankiller, James Martin, Marlee Matlin, John McFall, Michael Naranjo, Ari Ne'eman, Governor Gavin Newsom, Chris Nikic, Pedro Pascal, Diego Peña, Itzhak Perlman, Michael Phelps, Dr. Victor Pineda, Daniel Radcliffe, Lauren Ridloff, Cristina Sanz, Pamela Rae Schuller, Amy Sequenzia, Sequoyah, Ed Sheeran, Justice Sonia Sotomayor, Ali Stroker, Greta Thunberg, Harriet Tubman, Vance Walker, Liz Weintraub, Henry Winkler, Stevie Wonder, Alice Wong, Hunter Woodhall and Trischa Zorn

Currently in 2025, the Governor of California, Gavin Newsom, has dyslexia. Use this as a research or writing prompt, asking students to discover how the governor's disability has shaped his success, staffing choices, priorities and policy decisions about issues affecting people with disabilities.

• Erin Bell, SEDAC Chair
  
• Jenny Crosby, Committee Chair, Newbury Park High School SEDAC Representative

• Lee Ann Holland, Committee Chair, SEDAC Member At Large, Colina Middle School SEDAC Representative
• Carole Shelton, SEDAC Member At Large
  

• Denise Benic, SEDAC Chair
• Lee Ann Holland, Committee Chair, SEDAC Parliamentarian
  

• Lana Clark, EARthS SEDAC Representative
• Karen Kyle, SEDAC Member At Large, Weathersfield Elementary SEDAC Representative
• Neptune Mizrahi, Cypress Elementary SEDAC Representative
• Michelle Murphy, Wildwood Elementary SEDAC Representative
• Danielle Vega, Community Member