A small model of a left arm made in bronze, it has aged and has some green marks on it. REL: Votives of body parts were left at temples as people prayed that those body parts would be cured.

Disability in Ancient Rome

Dr Emma-Jayne Graham examines the votives, or models of body parts, made by or for disabled people and explores the experience of disability in the classical world. You can watch her talk here (please note this version has captions only, a BSL-interpreted version will be uploaded shortly).

Dr Emma-Jayne Graham is a Senior Lecturer in Classical Studies at the Open University with expertise in Ancient Rome. She uses archaeological remains to explore ideas about religion and disability in Roman Italy, her most recent book is Reassembling Religion in Roman Italy (2021). As well as exploring classical disability she runs The Votives Project.


A woman holding a hearing trumpet

Hearing Happiness

Month: November 2021

A woman holding a hearing trumpet

Our celebrations of UK Disability History Month started with an entertaining and informative talk by Professor Jaipreet Virdi, an award-winning activist, writer and historian. Professor Virdi presented compelling arguments about ideas of disability and views of deafness in 20th-century America and explored the evolution of hearing aids.

Dr. Jaipreet Virdi (University of Delaware) is an award-winning historian who explores how medicine and technology affect the lives of disabled people and recently published Hearing Happiness:  Deafness Cures in History  (2020)

In this talk she examines the cures for deafness and the development of hearing aids in 20th-century America.   She also discusses her own experience of hearing loss and deaf education.

Jaipreet Virdi’s talk launched Cultures of Disability’s celebration of UKDHM 2021, was a joint project with Manchester City Council , Manchester Met University and Manchester Libraries and is also available on Archives+.   It is available here with BSL interpretation and captions.

Cover of a book which is bright yellow, and title is in large red print. Black and white photograph of white woman wearing an old fashioned bonnet, and listening to a hearing tube. Writing reads: Hearing Happiness: Deafness Cures in History by Jaipreet Virdi

If you missed the event, for a limited period you can watch the pre-recorded lecture here. This includes BSL interpretation and captions.

You can also find out more in Professor Verdi’s book, Hearing Happiness. Why not see what other events we are running to celebrate UKDHM?

M logo pink blue and purple
Manchester Centre for public history & Heritage logo on a white background
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