What is NDMAC?

NDMAC stands for the National Disability Movement Archive and Collection.

NDMAC is a project sharing the heritage and personal stories from the Disability Rights Movement.

It is about the fight by disabled people to remove barriers.

The stories we share show how disabled people have fought for rights and equality.

Their campaigns helped disabled people have more rights, like the Disability Discrimination Act in 1995.

What’s on the website?

NDMAC has many elements that you can explore through the website.
The project includes:

• Online catalogue of items from people in the movement
• Profiles of some disability rights activists
• Physical archive that you can visit
• Written blogs about the project
• Online games, comics and boardgames
• Public events and exhibitions

The NDMAC Catalogue and Collections

The online catalogue has over 1,500 digital items. There are some very special things in it.

One collection of artworks is from Keith Armstrong. He left his photos to the project after he passed away in 2017.

The Project Director found some amazing photos that showed the history of the movement.

Keith went to many protests that fought for civil rights, such as:

• Block Telethon
• Direct Action Network
• Campaign for Accessible Transport

He brought his camera to all of them. His photos are very important for the disability movement.

NDMAC has shown Keith's photos in exhibitions in the UK and in Italy.

It’s important his photographs are shown to many people.

Who are the activists?

The Disability Rights Movement was supported by a number of key activists.

These figures of the disability rights movement are politicians, poets, critics and fighters who campaigned for change, and won.

We have recorded oral histories with some of them. Including Allan Sutherland, John Kelly and Sue Elsgood.

The NDMAC website has a directory listing some of these activists and their oral histories. Each page gives more information about each activist.

What is the archive?

The NDMAC archive is about personal stories. It is about the real struggles of disabled people.
It contains many items from the disability rights movement heritage story, including:

• NDMAC artworks
• Protest t-shirts
• Disability pride clothing (sometimes called 'crip drip')

NDMAC also recorded oral histories and films. These are recordings of people talking about their own lives.

The project wanted to hear from many different activists. They told powerful stories about what it was like to fight for justice and rights.

How can I visit the archive?

The archive is at Buckinghamshire New University in High Wycombe. When you visit, you can browse the archive and explore items up close.

The archive is located in the Wellbeing Zone at the university.

You can book to visit the archive on the NDMAC website.

Are there different timelines for the disability rights movement?

There are three different timelines we work with. They explain the history of the movement in different ways, in different formats.

1. Judy Hunt: No Limits

This is a very famous written overview that goes deep into how the movement was organised. It’s a book that explains the big strategies used to win rights.

2. Crippen Cartoons

This visual timeline uses cartoons to tell the history of the movement. It was made by Crippen (David Lupton) with NDMAC.

3. NDMAC Milestones

This written timeline lists the most important moments in history. It was written by Alex Cowan and Allan Sutherland. It is written simply so that more people can understand it.

You can access the timelines on the resources page.

The "Piss On Pity" Graphic Novel

The "Piss On Pity" Graphic Novel
Project Director David Hevey was part of the fight for rights. He met many inspiring activists.
David took photos and films of the protesters. He filmed the demonstrations.

NDMAC has turned these memories into a graphic novel. It shows the people who were involved.

Many people in the movement faced barriers. They were:

• Disabled
• Working class
• Radical (they wanted big changes)

They felt they had nothing left to lose. They were true old-school radicals.

The graphic novel tells the story of the fight for rights.

What is the "Crips V Coppers" Cardboard Theatre?

NDMAC has created an interactive cardboard theatre. It is small and can be built at home to play with other people.

It shows the different battles that happened for disability rights. The cardboard theatre re-enacts these iconic scenes with cut out characters.

These battles were led by the group DAN (Direct Action Network). They were very important protests for the movement.

Protests brought the fight for disability rights to the news and the public.

In the 1990s, disabled people fought for access. There were protesters stopping buses in in London near Parliament.

During the protest, people went inside Parliament to ask for more rights for disabled people.

Shaken Not Stirred

There is a new video game made by NDMAC on the website.

It is based on a famous art piece by Tony Heaton OBE. The art piece is also called "Shaken Not Stirred".

Throw a prosthetic leg at a tower of charity cans to play. The more hits, the more points!

It is about the art of protest and shows how art can be used to fight for rights.

Read the full blog by Liam Hevey about how he made the video game.

Clerk & Dagger

Explore the tabletop role-playing game. All you need to play is dice, pen and paper.

It was created by Liam Hevey in the NDMAC team.

The game is set in a world where audits are used to control people. It is a role-playing game about power, money and rights.

Audits are formal checks of a business or system. They make sure they are working correctly and are legal.

You can download a 90-page PDF from the NDMAC website.

What else is on the NDMAC website?

Alex Cowan manages the archive and collection at NDMAC. Alex wants to share many different perspectives of the fight for rights.

On the NDMAC website there is a page sharing extra resources connected to the project.

The website also has a blog. People connected to the project have written blog posts.

These posts are about NDMAC, the disability rights movement, the people involved.

About the website style

The NDMAC website looks like a cardboard protest. Its inspired by protest signs from the movement.

NDMAC wanted the website to have the same style.

The disability rights movement happened before many people had a computer or printer.

The website uses handwritten signs, tape and torn paper for its design.

Power in NDMAC

A common theme at NDMAC is power and rights. The project wanted to tell the story of disabled people fighting for civil rights.

In the story of the movement, there is power in different forms.
Here are some examples on the website:

Keith Armstrong’s Photos: Keith was at almost every major protest. His photos show the power of the movement in action.

Clerk & Dagger Game: This is a board game where you play as an outsider. In the game, you have very little power. This shows how hard it is to get justice today.

NDMAC created this website and tools so more people can learn about the movement.

Get in touch

Do you have a question?
Are you looking for something specific?
Want to give feedback?

You can contact the NDMAC project via Shape Arts.