Primary source databases
- Archives of Sexuality and GenderCollections of primary sources for the historical study of sex, sexuality, and gender. With material dating back to the sixteenth century, researchers and scholars can examine how sexual norms have changed over time, health and hygiene, the development of sex education, the rise of sexology, changing gender roles, social movements and activism, erotica, and many other topical areas.
- History of Disabilities: Disabilities in Society, Seventeenth to Twentieth CenturyCollections of books, manuscripts, and ephemera providing a historical view of disabilities from the seventeenth to twentieth century. Materials include personal memoirs, reports and proceedings of organizations and institutions, policies and programs concerning persons with disabilities. Rehabilitation, treatments, methods of education, and other forms of remediation are documented.
Digital collection websites
- 504 Sit-in 20th AnniversaryLinks and historical accounts from the 504 Sit-in collected by the Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund (DREDF).
- Centre for Disability StudiesThe Centre for Disability Studies (CDS) is an interdisciplinary network of researchers from across the Social Sciences, Humanities and STEM subjects, united by their commitment to carrying out research and teaching that helps achieve equality and social justice for disabled people, globally.
- Disability History MuseumCollections, education programs, and exhibits designed to foster research and study about the historical experiences of people with disabilities and their communities.
- Disability Rights and Independent Living Movement oral historiesThe DRILM collection consists of more than 100 oral histories with leaders and shapers of the disability rights and independent living movement from the 1960s onward and an extensive archive of personal papers of activists and records of key organizations.
- Digital Public Library of America (DPLA)A searchable online catalog with millions of digitized items to browse, including photos, maps and books, from libraries, archives, museums, and cultural institutions around the United States.
- Eugenics ArchiveEugenics Archives reflects the collaboration of scholars, survivors, students, and community partners in challenging eugenics.
- Gallaudet University Video ArchivesDigitized videos from Gallaudet University, including some episodes of their series Deaf Mosaic and The G Files.
- International Center for the Disabled RecordsMade available by the University of Massachusetts-Amherst.
- Patient No More: People with Disabilities Securing Civil RightsA collection of oral histories conducted by the Paul K. Longmore Institute on Disability at San Francisco State University.
- The Silent WorkerA popular national newspaper among the deaf population of the United States during the end of the 1890s through the end of the first quarter of the 20th century. Digital issues available from 1888 to 1929.
- Visible Lives: Oral Histories of the Disability ExperienceA project of Andrew Heiskell Braille and Talking Book Library in Manhattan.
Archives and special collections at UMN
- Jean-Nickolaus Tretter Collection in Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Studies
The Tretter Collection in Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Studies includes published materials, organizational records, and personal papers providing insights into the GLBT experience, and is the home of the Tretter Transgender Oral History Project. - Kautz Family YMCA Archives
The Kautz Family YMCA Archives collects the historical records of the Y's national resource office, records of the Greater Twin Cities and Greater New York YMCAs, and those of Y's Men International, a service club in partnership with the Y. The YMCA Archives documents one of the nation’s largest and oldest nonprofits and its programs to support social welfare, spiritual and mental development, and physical education. - Wangensteen Historical Library
The Owen H. Wangensteen Historical Library of Biology and Medicine is the pre-eminent library for historical medical research in the Midwest. We invite you to visit our library where you can experience the more than 80,000 volumes of rare books, journals and manuscripts in diverse medical and biological subject areas that span half a millennium, from 1430 to 1930.
UMN digital primary sources
- University Digital Conservancy at the University of MinnesotaA digital archive of M.A. and PhD theses at the University of Minnesota. The collection in this institutional repository can also be searched by keyword, date, authors and majors.
- UMedia ArchiveUMedia searches digitized collections from the University of Minnesota Libraries, Archives and Special Collections.
Quantitative data and statistics
- Sage Data This link opens in a new windowProvides access to statistical data produced by U.S. Federal agencies, States, private organizations, and major intergovernmental organizations. There are up to 2 billion charts, maps, views, rankings, time series and tables available for use in the Data-Planet repository.
- Inter-University Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR) This link opens in a new windowSearch and find social science datasets, both publicly and privately collected and published. This includes data sets for US and other countries that cover demographics and census, opinion polls, urban studies, education, economics, geography, legal systems, governments and elections, political behavior and attitudes, health care and other social indicators. To download data and resources, create a free personal account by clicking the "Log In" on the top right and selecting "Create Account." Use your University of Minnesota email address.
- Statistical Insight This link opens in a new windowSearch statistical publications from US and state government agencies, international intergovernmental organizations, professional and trade organizations, business organizations, commercial publishers, independent research organizations, and universities.
For more data & statistics resources see the Comprehensive Guide for Data & Statistics.
Last Updated: Feb 11, 2025 10:41 AM
URL: https://libguides.umn.edu/DisabilityStudiesExpanded