Conference: 'Life Histories in Mind: Mental Ill Health and Learning Disability in Context', July 2026
Life Histories in Mind: Mental Ill Health and Learning Disability in Context
Date: 21 July 2026
Venue: Manchester Metropolitan University
In summer this year, Cultures of Disability and Health members Professor Rob Ellis and Dr Rebecca Ball hosted a conference examining life history, mental ill health and learning disability. The event was run in conjunction with departmental research groups Histories of Race, Gender, Sexuality, and Identity (RGSI), the Manchester Centre for Public Histories and Heritage, and Cultures of Disability and Health.
The keynote lecture was given by Professor Catharine Coleborne, a Visiting Professor of Mental Health History at Manchester Metropolitan University (June 2025-May 2028) and co-Director of the Centre for Society, Health and Care Research at the University of Newcastle (Australia).
Conference brief below:
The aim of the conference is to explore mental ill health and learning disabilities in the context of life and experiential histories. Early research in these areas focussed on biographies of relatively well-known medical practitioners, with details of their achievements in progressing the history of ‘care’ and treatment. Since the 1980s, scholars have attempted, with varying degrees of success, to prioritise the ‘voices’ of patients and service users with a view to capturing a more detailed and critical understanding of the past and present. As historical inquiry has moved into newer areas of analysis there is now a clearer understanding of the many individuals and groups, beyond those offered up by institutional and medical records, involved in treatment regimes. This includes the importance of life beyond the diagnosis. Allied to this has been the newer modes of storytelling that have arisen from online opportunities and creative partnerships between academics and specialists in other fields, including, artists, theatre practitioners, and heritage professionals. These efforts reflect the inter-and cross-disciplinary interest in life histories and the complexities of sharing them.
Within this broad framework, the conference seeks to reinvigorate the possibilities offered by life narratives (broadly defined) and their place within our understandings of mental health and illness and learning disability.
Disability History at the House of Austrian History - 19 November 2025
Disability History at the House of Austrian History - 19 November 2025
Research Seminar co-hosted by Manchester Metropolitan University's Race, Gender, Sexuality and Identities Research Group and Manchester Centre for Public Histories and Heritage
Presented by Vansch Tautter, House of Austrian History
History museums often fail to tell the (hi)stories of people with disabilities. The House of Austrian History, as a national museum of contemporary history in Vienna, tries to change this through its collection and exhibition practices. This talk explores how the museum has adapted its object acquisition process to foster community participation, by including a focus group, oral history interviews and an interactive online exhibition. Additionally, it interrogates the physical and online exhibitions of the museum that use the collected objects. Finally, the talk critically engages with the meanings of these practices for the position of disability history in national heritage.
Vansch Tautter is an oral historian and curator at the House of Austrian History in Vienna. Their research focuses on disability history, cultural history and memory studies. The Disability History Project is funded by the Austrian Federal Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs, Health, Care and Consumer Protection.
Date: 19th November 2025
Time: 1pm-2pm
Book Here (A Teams link will be circulated to those who book in advance)
MMU Disability Reading Group - Meeting 2: 24 Oct
Manchester Metropolitan University Disability Reading Group - Meeting 2: 24 October 2025
Advertising the regular meetings of the Disability Reading Group, a collaborative, inclusive group that meets monthly to discuss texts considering disability. The group was established by Arlene Jackson, a PhD student with the School of History, Politics and Philosophy at Manchester Metropolitan University. Everyone welcome.
Meeting 2: Friday 24 October at 1:30pm via Teams.
Chapters 1, 3, 25, 27, 38 (Read as much or as little as you wish) from The Disability Studies Reader by Lennard J. Davis (5th edn) Routledge
The selected text is The Disability Studies Reader by Lennard J. Davis. If you have any difficulty accessing the book, please contact Arlene Jackson to arrange access. You can do so by going to this page, and clicking on Arlene's profile picture (bottom left), which will open an email.
Please register by contacting Arlene or leaving a comment below, and we will send through a Teams link in advance of the meeting.
MMU Disability Reading Group
Manchester Metropolitan University Disability Reading Group - Meeting 1: 22 Sept 2025
Advertising the regular meetings of the Disability Reading Group, established by Arlene Jackson - a PhD student with the Department of History, Politics and Philosophy
The Disability Reading Group is a collaborative, inclusive group that meets monthly to discuss texts considering disability. Everyone welcome.
Meeting 1: Monday 22 September from 1:30pm via Teams.
Brown, N., & Leigh, J. (Eds.). (2020). Ableism in Academia: Theorising experiences of disabilities and chronic illnesses in higher education. UCL Press. https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctv13xprjr
The selected text is Ableism in Academia edited by Nicole Brown and Jennifer Leigh. It is available at MMU library in both print and e-book format and the e-book can be employed for text to speech/the library will provide an alternative format on request. For anyone outside of MMU, the book is currently available on Kindle for 99p.
Please register by contacting Arlene or leaving a comment below, and we will send through a Teams link in advance of the meeting.
DoWell Co-Design Workshop and Lectures Series 2025
DoWell Co-Design Workshop and Lectures Series 2025
Advertising a series of upcoming lectures and workshops from DoWell - Design for Health and Wellbeing Research group
At DoWell –Design for Health and Wellbeing Research group– we pioneer the use of collaborative creative processes from craft and design to support people’s mental and physical health and to improve products, environments, services and interactions for health and care. We co-design our research into the social and societal aspects of health and wellbeing with the people who will benefit from our studies. Our research contributes to national and international action on mental health, disability, dementia and neurodiversity.
Everyone welcome. Please register through Eventbrite.
DoWell Co-Design Workshop and Lectures Series 2025
DoWell Co-Design Workshop and Lectures Series 2025
Advertising a series of upcoming lectures and workshops from DoWell - Design for Health and Wellbeing Research group
At DoWell –Design for Health and Wellbeing Research group– we pioneer the use of collaborative creative processes from craft and design to support people’s mental and physical health and to improve products, environments, services and interactions for health and care. We co-design our research into the social and societal aspects of health and wellbeing with the people who will benefit from our studies. Our research contributes to national and international action on mental health, disability, dementia and neurodiversity.
Everyone welcome. Please register through Eventbrite.
Session 7: Co-Designing with Neurodiverse People: An Embodied Creativity Perspective (FINAL SESSION)
Wednesday 25 June 2025, 3.30-5pm, Online session
Dr Laura Malinin, Inaugural Director, Nancy Richardson Design Center & Associate Professor of Interior Architecture + Design, Colorado State University
This presentation describes two multi-year projects where an interdisciplinary group of researchers and students engaged neurodiverse people in co-design processes to improve inclusion and engagement in community programming. The first case involved older adults with dementia and their care partners to develop community performing arts programming. The second project engaged a group of autistic youth to improve visit-ability at a science museum. The projects will be discussed using the lens of embodied creativity as a framework to explain the design and methods used in the different cases as well as outcomes.
Lived Fiction at the Lowry - 17 October
Lived Fiction inclusive dance performance - the Lowry - 17 October 2024
Stopgap Dance Company present 'Lived Fiction' - this contemporary, inclusive dance performance features Deaf, Disabled, neurodivergent and non-disabled creatives in a dance work that is deep with compassion for the human condition.
"The sensual choreography of Lived Fiction is rendered anew with evocative audio description, exquisite projection art and captioning ... experience dance from multiple perspectives and share in a future that is rich with the enterprise, potential, and power of diversity."
Performance includes audio description and captioning.
Further information and tickets available here: Lived Fiction – Stopgap (stopgapdance.com) and Lived Fiction | What's On | The Lowry
Pier 8
Salford
M50 3AZ
Poetry and Histories of British Sign Language
BSL Heritage: Poetry and Histories of British Sign Language
As part of the Manchester BSL Fest 2024, come and join us to find out more about the poetry and history of BSL at the Manchester Poetry Library. Includes performances by the BSL Poet Laureate.
Wednesday 24 April 3pm -5pm. Refreshments Available.
Tickets are free, but places are limited: please register HERE.
Come to find out more about the cultural heritage of BSL or to share your thoughts about a BSL poetry collection at Manchester Poetry Library!
- Performance by BSL Poet Laureate Kabir Kapoor
- Performance by VV artist Ish’s VV World
- Presentation: ‘1792 and the Boom of Modern BSL’, Peter Brown (City Lit)
- Introduction: Early Histories of Sign Language in the UK, Rosamund Oates (MMU)
- Discussion: A future BSL poetry at Manchester Poetry Library?
Poetry
The first BSL poet laureate, Kabir Kapoor, will be performing his signed poetry, which can be enjoyed by everyone.
Ish’s VV World will do a Visual Vernacular performance (find out more about VV here), drawing on a mix of mime, signs and bodily gestures.
History:
Deaf historian Peter Brown of City Lit in London will present on ‘1792 and the Boom of Modern BSL’.
Rosamund Oates (Manchester Met University) will share some of her research into deafness before 1760. https://twitter.com/DrRosamundOates
After the performances, we will discuss the possibility of a BSL collection of poetry at Manchester Met University and Manchester Poetry Library: we would like your thoughts!
Event open to everyone. This event will be in British Sign Language and English, with interpreters for both. Wheelchair accessible. For other access requirements, please be in touch: email poetrylibrary@mmu.ac.uk or call 0161 247 6106 and we’ll be happy to support you.
Supported by the British Academy and Race, Genders and Sexualities Research Group, MMU.
AD: 17th century book with drawings of man making different gestures, described in Latin.
These workshops are being funded by;
Signs of the Times 21th February
A Hands-On Experience of the Past with Artist Christopher Sacre.
Come and find out about the past, explore the museum, and create your own artwork!
Christopher Sacre of See and Create is a Deaf Artist using BSL and English.
He uses the visual world to explore heritage and museums and will run creative workshops
during the February half-term at Ordsall Hall and Salford Art Gallery and Museum.
WORKSHOP1
DATE: 21 February: Salford Art Museum & Gallery: Animals
AM. 10 am: Workshop for D/deaf, Hard of Hearing and CODA children and families.
Please pre-register HERE. (Best suited to ages 8+) Delivered in English, with BSL support.
PM. 2-4: Drop-in session for all (best suited for ages 5+). Booking is not necessary;
more information HERE.
Free entry: BOOK HERE FOR MORNING WORKSHOP
WORKSHOP2
DATE: 22 February: Ordsall Hall: Patterns and Portraits
AM. 10 am: Workshop for D/deaf, Hard of Hearing and CODA children and families.
Please pre-register HERE (Best suited to ages 8+). Delivered in English, with BSL support.
PM. 2-4: Drop-in sessions for all (best suited for ages 5+) Booking is not necessary;
more information HERE
Free entry: BOOK HERE FOR MORNING WORKSHOP
These workshops are being funded
by the British Academy.
Sound & Heritage 6th Dec
Public Discussion
A public discussion exploring how we can use sound technology to access heritage to celebrate Disability History Month.
Panellists from Disabled People’s Archives, Vocal Eyes, Archives + and the Universities of York and Liverpool. Performance by leading Drum & Base artist ARTILECT.
DATE: Manchester Poetry Library 3-6 pm Wednesday 6 December.
Tickets are free and open to everyone.
Please register your interest here @ bit.ly/soundheritage.
For more information, contact Mohammed.Khan@mmu.ac.uk
SUZANNE.CLOVES@stu.mmu.ac.uk or r.oates@mmu.ac.uk.
With the support of Past & Present, Leverhulme Trust, Manchester Centre for Public History and Heritage.
