Being a Disabled Lover…. of History
By: The Wheelchair Historian
Tags: Research, Accessibility, Tourism, History, Disability

Welcome to my latest blog post. I know I said I would be moving on to beliefs about disability this week. However, I fear I may have bitten off more than I can chew. You see, the topic is more complex than I imagined it in my head when I was planning it. It is taking me a while to piece the puzzle together, but it should be ready for next week. In the meantime, I have decided to give you an insight into the conflicting world of being disabled and a history lover. Unlike every other post I have written, I am making this one up as I’m typing, so I have no idea what I am going to say next.

Access to Records

As you have probably guessed by now, I enjoy learning and writing about history. (If I didn’t, you wouldn’t be reading this). There is just one tiny problem: history involves several old things. A shocker, I know! I think I should clarify the difference between history and archaeology. If I can recall my first week of university correctly, history uses written sources to analyses the past, whereas archaeology relies on physical objects, such as pottery. Does anyone else have the Indiana Jones music stuck in their head right now? Anyway, when studying history, it requires reading several books. As is well known, books are kept in libraries. However, libraries (the physical buildings) are not always accessible. You cannot just stroll into the library and pick out a book. At least not without knocking a few shelves over in the process.

Also, have you ever tried opening and reading a book that is several hundred years old when you have poor hand function? It’s giving me heart palpitations just thinking about it. Luckily for me, scanners exist, so I can have a digital version of a book on my computer. However, this is not always a possibility. This is particularly the case when it comes to historical records. I know that accessing records is not a disability specific problem. Some records are very old and therefore the institutions are understandably hesitant to let any Joe Blogs wander off the street and access them. The problem for me as a wheelchair user is that travelling around to visit various records isn’t that easy and that is before actually trying to enter the building. I know that certain records are online and there are projects working on digitizing more, but it is a slow process. Basically, what I am trying to say in a very long-winded fashion is that almost everything I research for this blog is limited to what I can find online using [insert preferred search engine here].

Access to Historical Sites

As I am an avid lover of history, I could spend all day in museums and at historical sites. In fact, I often wish I could live in a place like the British Museum, London, permanently. I’m sure there is a spare sarcophagus I could sleep in. I also enjoy visiting historical, particularly ancient, sites. However, being a wheelchair user raises several issues. Obviously, the Romans did not build Pompeii with wheelchair users in mind. Therefore, only a small percentage of the (giant) city is wheelchair friendly. If I can remember correctly, they have added ramps etc. in certain areas. The disabled part of me (wait isn’t that all of me?) was jumping for joy at being able to access sites I had read about for years. However, the history loving part of me was deeply troubled.

You see, the people who look after these sites usually do not get enough funding. When you combine this with the amount of people who pay a visit every year, many sites will be completely destroyed by wear and tear in a matter of years. Trying to adapt these sites to make them wheelchair accessible is only making things worse. To clarify, I am thinking of ancient sites that are already ruins. I know it sounds like I’m saying wheelchair users shouldn’t visit ancient sites. That’s because that is exactly what I am saying. However, it is not just wheelchair users that shouldn’t visit ancient sites. I feel that in order to properly preserve ancient sites, they should be closed to the public. Instead, I think technologies such as virtual reality should be used to allow visitors to explore sites. I know that this will probably never happen, but one can always dream.

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After that rant, it is probably best to stick with relaying information I have researched. Next week I may or may not start my series on the history of beliefs surrounding disability. I guess you will just have to read it to find out.

The Wheelchair Historian