Disability

We hold a number of collections that related to a variety of disabilities and to the facilities and support available to disabled people.

Bioengineering – the application of engineering principles to improve disease prevention and treatment, agricultural production, energy sustainability, and more – was used in Edinburgh to develop prostheses for people with no upper limbs and people who had lost fingers or with partial limbs. Our collections focus on the pioneering work of bioengineer David Gow.


Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) Edinburgh and Lothians began as the Edinburgh Society for Promoting Reading Amongst the Blind in November 1857. By 1863 the Society was covering the areas north of the Forth to Stirling and Fife and as far as Dunbar in the south. Soon after the start of the twentieth century, the organisation changed its name to the Society for the Welfare and Teaching of the Blind (Edinburgh and South-East Scotland) and from 1930 the Society occupied premises at 4 Coates Crescent, Edinburgh. In 1995, the Society moved to bigger and more accessible premises at 12-14 Hillside Crescent and its name was changed to Visual Impairment Services South East Scotland. It assumed its present name after a merger with RNIB in 2002.

In 2013, RNIB Scotland donated their records to LHSA. This collection covers the period 1858-2012 and contains a wealth of information about the administration of the organisation, as well as books, pamphlets and photographs.


On the occasion of UK Disability History Month 2024, LHSA contributed to a Lunch and Learn session with NHS Lothian’s Disabled Employee Network. Through the lens of our diverse collections, we examined the historical role that disabled people have played in the workplace and the broader job market. This is the first of a series of blogs exploring the role of disability employment and livelihood.

The presentation was shaped into a series of three blogs:

Disability Employment and Livelihood (1): The history of Jonathan Kerr

Disability Livelihood and Employment (2): The Register of the Outdoor Blind

Disability Livelihood and Employment (3): Tyne Lodge, the National Coal Board Medical Service, and Dingleton Hospital


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