Artefacts
What is an Artefact? In archives and museums, artefacts are defined as objects, or physical things, which have been made or shaped by humans. They are often 3-D rather than something flat like a piece of paper. The word object is often used instead of the word artefact.
When people picture a historical artefact, it is usually a flint arrow, old broach, coin, or a household item such as a bowl or vase.
The Disabled People’s Archive doesn’t have any of these, but what it does have are t-shirts, badges, banners, placards, - even a handcuff, a wind sock and a charity collection doll!
These photographs show just a few examples. Unfortunately, we have not been able to catalogue these yet, so this page is a taster of what will be available to view in the future.
We will give some brief background information about each object. Please do let us know if you have more detailed information, or any memories connected to them or their use.
There is also a detailed visual description of the photograph of each artefact, to aid accessibility. Please click on each image.
Glossary
3 Audio Cassette Tapes
About These three audio cassette tapes are from the 1990s. Although the music itself is not an artefact, the original cassette tapes are. Go to
T-shirt: Deaf Power
About This Deaf Power T-shirt is from campaigns for Deaf People’s rights. There is a strong history of Deaf people campaigning for rights, promoting the...
T-shirt: Nothing About Us Without Us - DAN
About The Disabled People’s Direct Action Network, DAN, created a number of campaign t-shirts. This T-shirt is from their ‘Blair’s Blood’ protest against benefit cuts...
Badge: Rights for Disabled People Now!
About The Rights Now Group and campaign was launched in 1992 by the British Council of Organisations of Disabled People. It was a development from...
T-shirt: Sameena & Kristine Must Stay
About This campaign was to stop the deportation of Sameena & Kristine, two young Deaf women of Romani descent who faced persecution if deported back...
Collection Doll, Spastics Society
About This collection doll, which is about 3 feet, or 1 metre tall, was ‘borrowed’ by a GMCDP member from a street in Chester when...
Handcuff: ADAPT Protest, USA - 1998
About Non-violent Direct Action has been a necessary and important tactic used by disabled people to draw much needed media and government attention to our...
Commemorative Stamps: International Year of Disabled People 1981
About The United Nations set 1981 as the International Year of Disabled People. These commemorative stamps, sold by Royal Mail, were designed by John Gibbs Description A...
Banner: Save the Independent Living Fund.
About Made with cotton and felt, the banner was designed by Brian Hilton and hand-made by Wadiha Ahmed in 2014. It was used extensively in...
Badge: Free Our People - DAN
About This badge was designed and used for the Disabled People’s Direct Action Network (DAN) ‘Free Our People’ campaign, which was launched in 1999. The...
T-shirt: BCODP DPI
About This T-shirt is from joint work between the British Council of Organisations of Disabled People (BCODP) and Disabled Peoples’ International (DPI). Description A white T-shirt. In...
Disabled Persons Discretionary Parking Permit
About The disabled persons discretionary parking permit, which used to be called the Orange Badge, is what came before the current permit, known as the...