“I want to smash expectations of disability” New Suffolk Archives project gives voice to lived experience
Suffolk Archives has been awarded more than £139,000 from The National Lottery Heritage Fund.
The lives, achievements, challenges and experiences of disabled people across the county are being highlighted in a new project.
Suffolk Archives has been awarded more than £139,000 from The National Lottery Heritage Fund. The money will go toward the project, called Beyond Labels: Celebrating Disability in Suffolk.
The project will collect and preserve personal stories from people with disabilities, their carers and support organisations, creating a lasting record that highlights both progress and ongoing challenges.
Mandy Rawlins, Audience Development Manager at Suffolk Archives, said the initiative is both a heritage project and a learning experience for the service.
“The role of Suffolk Archives is to collect and preserve Suffolk’s archival history, and we regularly look at our collections to see where we think we have gaps,” she said.
“What I’m finding really interesting about Beyond Labels is the fact that it is going to be purely driven by the community and individuals with lived experience with disability and their carers.
“It’s a journey for us, a huge learning journey about accessibility and engagement, and we’re really hoping the community will guide us on that.”
Already making a difference
As part of the project, Suffolk Archives has been reviewing the accessibility of its buildings and services, including The Hold on Ipswich Waterfront.
“It was designed to be accessible and we’ve been in here a couple of years now, but realised there are a few things that we immediately need to change, automatic doors, some of our interpretation, and how people use the building,” Ms Rawlins said.
“We’re going to be researching different types of technologies we can use in our archive service and exhibition spaces, and we’ll completely overhaul our access policy.”
Beyond Labels will also involve workshops for schools and community groups, a new community forum, and a countywide programme to collect stories. Suffolk Archives hopes the project will encourage more people to see its spaces as inclusive and safe.
“We want people to see that we are a safe place, that we are inclusive and accessible,” Ms Rawlins said. “More people will hopefully come and experience what it’s like to be in an archive, explore heritage and enjoy the events and activities we put on.”
When it's on and why it's important
A free public exhibition at The Hold is set to run from February to May 2026, co-curated with local communities.
“It’s important because our core objective is to secure the heritage of the county and we always have to look ahead 100 years to see what people will want to research about now,” Ms Rawlins said.
“People with lived experience with disability and carers are going through some really harrowing challenges around benefits and access. If we don’t have those stories, they will be lost.”
She added that the project will include a broad range of experiences:
“It’s not just physical (disabilities), it is everything from neurodiversity and mental health to other forms of disability,” she said.
“We’ve created a community forum to help guide the project, and we hope that they will bring the unsung heroes of our county to the fore.”
Looking ahead, Ms Rawlins said the team is thrilled by the recognition and investment from The National Lottery Heritage Fund.
“It’s going to be a journey, shall we say, and I’m really, really excited that the service has been recognised,” she said. “They’ve invested, they think this is a valuable project, and we’re really excited to get started.”