Newly discovered photographs charting the 120 year history of disability charity, Disabled Living, are on show in a permanent exhibition, the BBC reports.
Disabled Living was established in Manchester in 1897 as the ‘Band of Kindness and Children’s Help Society’. The charity later widened its focus to include caring for adults and expanded to become a national organisation.
Today the charity provides helpline services offering advice on subjects including equipment and occupational therapy.
Many of the organisation’s archive materials were destroyed in an electrical fire in 2009 at one of its buildings in Cheetham Hill but an appeal in 2017 helped gather dozens of largely unseen photographs and other items from former volunteers, employees and people who used its services.
The photographs offer a unique chance to see the history of a disability charity in the UK. They feature scenes including the charity’s first wheelchair loan service in 1903, the opening of a residential home for disabled adults in North Wales in 1949 and even a visit from the late entertainer Sir Ken Dodd (pictured.)
The exhibition, From Donkeys to Innovators, also featuring video interviews is at Redbank House, Cheetham Hill, Manchester. For further information and open days please contact Redbank House on 0161 214 5959.
