Stories

This is our story.

From stories of lived experience, to essays by curators, researchers, artists and chronically ill individuals, this section gathers raw, radical and moving stories and essays that have at their core the belief that invisible illnesses and disabilities deserve better representation, in the museum, but also in everyday life.

Sep 13

GRIEF

I like to consider myself a bit of an expert on grief, both in the traditional and nontraditional ways...

May 17

Invisible disabilities, lived experiences, and the mundane object

Over the past two decades, projects such as Buried in the Footnotes have set out to explore the representation of disability...

Jun 9, 2022

Rebekah's story

When I was a child, I dreamt of exploring far away lands, of digging up dinosaurs and ancient greek pottery, exploring temples, and...

Apr 26, 2022

On the Courtauld Gallery selling souvenirs making light of Van Gogh's mental illness

The aim of a gallery is to display the life and the work of an artist by showing to the public that every and each one of us should be...

Apr 25, 2022

When life as you knew it is turned upside down…

For as long as I can remember, there has always been something wrong within my body, or something making me uncomfortable, whether it was...

Dec 5, 2021

In the Forest

In this article, Erin Becker-Boris recounts her own story of Lyme disease, and how it is linked to her experience of higher education.

Mar 15, 2021

Let's change Endometriosis narrative

In this blog, Ilenia Atzori shares her story with endometriosis and emphasizes that the narrative about endometriosis being a women's matte

Oct 16, 2020

From History to Hidden - The Asylum under the surface of Leicester University

When I began my studies at the University of Leicester, I knew nothing of the campus’s history in disability persecution. And I can’t really

Aug 15, 2020

Status Migrainosus

Words and artwork by Artist in Residence, Caitlin Smits.

Jul 10, 2020

Are You There?

A mild disease, a form of discomfort, something recurrent or permanent which bothers you. What is a disability? What is chronic disease?...

Jun 25, 2020

Standing Alone

This blog was originally written for Diversability. You can read the original post here. I quit my job. I thought about quitting my BA...

May 14, 2020

My Lyme Story #2

My childhood was filled with the outdoors, sports, friends and playing outside (in tall grass sometimes) until the sun went down. I have...

May 14, 2020

My Lyme Story #1

No one believes that their life will end, until one day they simply warn you. For me, it all started one day in October, when I started...