Hearing Lost Voices: The Search for Women With Learning Disabilities in World War 1
Jan Walmsley, Pam Bebbington, Dawn Wiltshire, Gina Regan, Lee HumberABSTRACT
Background and Aims
This paper describes what members of Oxfordshire's self advocacy organisation, My Life My Choice, aided by two historians of learning disability, found when they searched for evidence about the lives of women with learning disabilities in World War 1. For women generally, the War opened up new opportunities for employment alternatives to domestic service. My Life My Choice members wanted to find out whether this applied to women with learning disabilities, people whose voices have been lost.
Methods
This was an inclusive research project in which members of My Life My Choice led, did research and acted as an advisory group. It involved learning about the historical background through museum visits, and archival research.
Results
These are lost voices. Evidence was elusive, but we did find out about a few women with learning disabilities living in Oxford. Their lives had been recorded by the local Mental Deficiency Committee, and their voices were absent. The members of My Life My Choice used the opportunity to imagine what these women might have said if anyone had asked them.
Conclusion
The project was an opportunity for women with learning disabilities to learn more about the often distressing history of people with learning disabilities, and to imagine what those women might have said had their voices been recorded. The self‐advocates involved with the project comment upon its value to them.