As a History teacher in both mainstream and Additional Support Needs (ASN) provisions, I am passionate about building a curriculum that represents all groups, particularly those whose stories have been historically marginalised. Alongside colleagues in my previous schools, I sought professional learning opportunities to address gaps in representation by centring the voices of marginalised groups. However, it was only in the last three years, while undertaking a part-time Masters in Inclusive Education, that I encountered the term ableism and began to recognise how disabled people’s voices have been excluded from the curriculum.

Ableism is a form of discrimination that excludes, devalues and oppresses disabled people. It relies on ideas of disability as inherently unfortunate or negative, and of disabled people as inferior to their non-disabled peers. Where learners lack opportunities to learn about disability, damaging narratives are left unchallenged. Ableist tropes are common in popular culture, literature and the media: disabled people are cast as villains (such as Captain Hook in Peter Pan), tragic victims (Tiny Tim in A Christmas Carol), or inspirational for having ‘overcome’ their disability, as is often seen in media portrayals of Paralympic athletes. Curriculum representation is therefore essential in challenging the power and persistence of these narratives.

This raises important questions for educators. How do we create inclusive and equitable school communities where diversity is not only respected but celebrated? How do we work towards curricular justice: a curriculum that recognises the diversity of learners and ensures all young people feel a sense of belonging? Representation has the power to disrupt ableist assumptions, support non-disabled learners to develop understanding of disability and disabled identity, and present disabled lives as full, complex and powerful.

Why disability representation matters

Teachers have significant power as curriculum makers to shape how learners understand disability. By promoting positive narratives and centring disabled voices, we can actively challenge ableism within our schools. However, many educators feel unconfident teaching about diverse identities. Concerns about using the wrong language, making mistakes, or addressing topics perceived as ‘too political’ can result in silence. Learners take their cues from this, and silence communicates that disability is a taboo subject.

When we embed meaningful opportunities to explore diverse identities and experiences, the potential for change is significant. Teaching about disability with intention encourages empathy, builds solidarity, and supports young people to develop an understanding of our shared humanity.

Thinking about disability in anti-ableist ways

To do this well, it is essential that teachers and learners have shared, inclusive language to talk about disability. Yet there is limited professional guidance on teaching disability in anti-ableist ways. Many dominant narratives in the curriculum are rooted in the medical model of disability, which frames disability as an individual deficit or problem to be fixed. Barriers are understood as the result of impairment, rather than of inaccessible environments, attitudes or systems.

Alternative models help to challenge this thinking. The social model distinguishes between impairment and disability, locating disability in social and systemic barriers rather than within individuals. The affirmative model goes further, celebrating disabled identity, culture and community. It positions disability as a valid and meaningful way of being and insists that disabled people shape how disability is understood. These models offer educators powerful frameworks for developing more equitable approaches to curriculum design.

Making space for disabled voices in the curriculum

History offers rich opportunities to centre disabled voices. In lessons on movements for the right to vote, learners may be familiar with figures such as Emmeline Pankhurst or Emily Davison, but far less aware of May Billinghurst, a disabled Suffragette. Billinghurst used her tricycle wheelchair strategically, hiding rocks for window-breaking and charging police lines. Learners may also be unfamiliar with Eliza ‘Addy’ Knight, who resigned from the WSPU to campaign for working-class women and later fought for workers’ rights through organisations including the early Labour Party.

Looking further back, pupils can learn about William Cuffay, a mixed-race Chartist with a limb difference who was integral to a movement credited with taking early steps towards universal suffrage in Britain. These stories challenge portrayals of disabled people as villains, victims or inspirational because of ‘overcoming’ disability. These figures are inspirational because they were agents of change. Their stories highlight intersectional identities and deepen learners’ understanding of 19th- and 20th-century Britain.

Across subjects, learners can also be supported to recognise and critique ableist narratives. In English, pupils might analyse Colin’s portrayal in The Secret Garden, where disability must be cured before the story can end happily, and contrast this with more authentic representations such as Edie Eckhart in Rosie Jones’ series about a young woman with cerebral palsy. Edie is a complex character with a full life, offering both windows and mirrors for learners.

Learners might also compare Stella Young’s essay We’re Not Here for Your Inspiration with media coverage of the Paralympics, developing critical skills alongside an understanding of how subtle inspiration narratives reinforce the idea that disability is something negative that must be overcome.

Beyond the classroom

Representation also extends beyond curriculum content into school spaces. Displays showcasing career pathways, community members or role models often exclude disabled people. This absence can reinforce ideas about who belongs, who succeeds and who is valued. Inclusive displays, such as celebrating disabled mathematicians alongside their non‑disabled peers, send a clear message that disabled people are and have always been integral to our communities, professions and histories.

Moving beyond silence towards authentic, positive representation is essential in creating inclusive school cultures. Teaching about disability through a social justice lens equips learners to recognise and challenge ableism. By centring disabled voices and experiences across the curriculum and school environments, teachers can offer mirrors that affirm identity and windows that broaden understanding. In doing so, we shift the narrative from deficit to diversity, empowering young people to work towards school communities where disabled voices, histories, joy and agency are genuinely valued.