Investing in disability heritage
Disabled people are under-served in every area of the heritage sector, including people who are learning disabled, people with physical or sensory disabilities or those living with dementia or using mental health services.
We are working in partnership with disabled people to change this unfair situation. Under our Heritage 2033 investment principles inclusion, access and participation must be part of every project we fund.
Disabled people are far more likely to be digitally excluded, face barriers to communication, and feel more socially isolated. Even before the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, disabled people and people with long-term health conditions were more likely to experience poor mental health and wellbeing.
We know that this is something that heritage projects can help to address.
Ewan Bachell, Project Manager at The National Lottery Heritage Fund
Here are some of the inspirational projects run by disabled people or delving into the history of disability in the UK. If you've got an idea, we'd love to hear from you.
Projects
Reawakening Dover's Maison Dieu
This internationally significant NeoGothic building will be accessible to the public for the first time in its 800-year history.
Projects
The Hidden Heritage of Wellbeing in the Community: co-creating oral histories of mental health care
Nottingham’s Middle Street Resource Centre celebrated 50 years of service by recording stories from its community with researchers at Nottingham Trent University.
Projects
Groundwork: sharing the untold stories of people with learning disabilities
This New Ground is supporting people with learning disabilities in Portsmouth to make their voices heard through oral history.
Projects
Our Heritage: supporting D/deaf children in Walsall
Families of children with D/deafness or hearing impairments took part in social activities that taught them about local heritage, traditions and skills passed down through generations.
Stories
Turning a stately home into a ‘house of opportunity’
News
Success for heritage projects in the National Lottery Awards
Projects
Sense’s project blossoms in National Trust gardens
‘Internal Gardens’ used wearable technology to help people with complex disabilities create tactile connections with natural heritage.
Blogs
Sharing radical heritage demands a radical approach
Videos
Esther Fox is the National Lottery Awards Heritage Winner for 2023
Stories
How to make recruitment fair and open to all
Projects
Neurodiversity through the ages
Educating local communities in Grimsby about neurodiversity throughout human history, including – the development of psychiatry as a discipline, the history of diagnoses and how society treated neurodivergent people.
Stories