FROM SMALL BEGINNINGS...
Social Revolution 1970: The Legacy of Alf Morris and Disability Activism
Online Events and Exhibition at LSE Library
2020 marks the 50th anniversary of the passing of a pioneering piece of social legislation called the Chronically Sick and Disabled Persons Act (CSDPA). LSE Library is hosting an online exhibition and two public events to mark this anniversary and raise awareness of the disability activism in the 1970s.
Online exhibition: A Modern Magna Carta: Alf Morris and the Chronically Sick and Disabled Persons Act
Following the passing of the Chronically Sick and Disabled Act in 1970, it was hailed as a magna carta for people with disabilities. At the time, it was seen a key milestone in the development of rights and provision of services for people with various health conditions and a model for such legislation worldwide.
This exhibition tells the story of the passing of the Act largely through extracts from the papers of Alf Morris MP, who plotted its journey through Parliamentary processes and onto the statute book. Morris became the World’s first Minister for the Disabled in 1974 and LSE Library is the custodian of his papers. The exhibition also considers the role of activists, such as the Disability Income Group.
The exhibition will be online on 26 November 2020. https://www.lse.ac.uk/library/whats-on/exhibitions
#LSEDisabilityAct50 @LSELibrary
Events:
The free events will have both live captioning and British Sign Language (BSL).
Remembering the 1970 Chronically Sick and Disabled Persons Act
Thursday 26 November 2020, 6 - 7pm.
This event considers Alf Morris’ involvement in this Act and his work on behalf of people with disabilities, with perspectives on the legacy of the Act, and how debates and public awareness around disability have changed.
Educating Equally: what is needed?
Thursday 3 December 2020, 4 - 5pm.
On the International Day for People with Disabilities, this event looks at what is needed for children and adults with disabilities to have access to equal education, especially with the challenges of providing learning during and in the aftermath of COVID-19. #LSECOVID19
