The book “History Isn’t Without Us”

The book History Is Not Complete Without Us: The Rise of the Disability Rights Movement is unique because it is the first publication in Ukraine to explore the often invisible and unrecognized struggle of persons with disabilities for their rights—a struggle that remains little known, rarely discussed, and insufficiently researched.

Above all, this book is about people who have dedicated their work to improving the lives of their community—persons with disabilities. In doing so, they have also made an extraordinary contribution to the democratic development of Ukraine. Why, then, do we know so little about them? And why should everyone know their stories?

The book was created by Fight For Right, an organization of persons with disabilities, with the support of the Ukrainian Cultural Foundation. It features the stories of 27 disability rights activists, including Olesia Yaskevych, Serhii Titarenko, Valentyna Butenko, Andrii Pyshnyi, Andrii Demchuk, Vladyslav Yeshchenko, Ivan Marusevych, Iryna Kyrychenko, and others.

The people featured in the book describe how different waves of activism have evolved from the mid-1980s to the present day, as well as how perceptions of disability and attitudes toward persons with disabilities have changed over time.

Their stories also illustrate how society is changing, which stereotypes about persons with disabilities still persist, and why it is essential to raise issues of rights violations rather than remain silent or avoid addressing them.