About Disability Activism Bristol

Disability Activism Bristol is a partnership project, funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund as Forging Our Future : Resistance, Change and Leadership in Bristol’s Disability Movement.

It was run by Bristol Disability Equality Forum, and coordinated and delivered by Lori Streich from Rowan Associates South West Ltd, in partnership with Bristol Museum Service.

Disability Activism Bristol was co-produced by a group of young Disabled people who formed a Research Group. 

Research Group members:

  • Megan Belcher
  • Sam Cornelius-Light
  • Aaron Creese
  • Yu-Chen Lin
  • Will McCabe
  • Cat McCartney-Kitson
  • Sophie Rivers
  • Charlie S
  • Tegan Vincent-Cooke

Activists interviewed:  Research Group members interviewed the following activists:

  • Will Bee
  • Roger Berry
  • Liz Crow
  • Alun Davies
  • Meryl Gaskell
  • Penny Germon
  • David Mendelsohn
  • Ruth Pickersgill
  • Ian Popperwell
  • Gordon Richardson
  • Paul Sullivan
  • Hilary Sutherland
  • Laura Welti

We apologise for the omissions of some key activists in the Disabled People’s Movement in the period covered by this project. 

Project Coordinator:

  • Lori Streich, Rowan Associates South West Ltd

Training and Support for the Research Group:

  • Dawn Gorman – oral history trainer
  • Daisy Holder – research guru and trainer

Outputs:

Disability Activism Bristol and Forging Our Future have produced this website, a pack of learning resources for secondary schools, and a Display in the ‘We Make Bristol’ Gallery at M Shed Bristol from 28 April 2022 – 1 October 2023.  The team of creatives who worked with the Research Group to produce these outputs are:

  • Dan Tagg, Wildman and Herring – website development
  • Ruth Myers & Pete Insole, Local Learning – learning resource co-creation
  • Daisy Holder – learning resource co-creation
  • Vic Heynes, Lori Streich, Laura Welti – learning activity advice
  • Elmfield School for Deaf Children – learning resouce contributors
  • Tot Foster – audio editor
  • Finn White – M Shed display
  • David Constantine – portrait photographer

Museum Support Team:

The project received fantastic support from Bristol Museum Service.  We want to thank in particular:

  • Finn White – engagement
  • Simon Fenn – and others in the design team
  • Jackie Winchester – Public Engagement Manager

Library and Archives Staff: 

We could not have carried out the research without access to and support from Bristol Library and Archives staff, in particular:

  • Dawn Dyer, Bristol Central Library
  • Graham Tratt, Bristol Archives
  • David Emeney, Bristol Archives

Funded by

Heritage Fund

Managed by

Bristol Disability Equality Forum

Project Coordination and Delivery:  Lori Streich, Rowan Associates

Rowan Associates

Project Partners:  Bristol Museum Service and M Shed

Bristol City Council
M shed

For further information: 

Bristol Disability Equality Forum: bristoldef@gmail.com

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