The Accessible Medievalist

This episode talks about the value of open educational resources (OER), especially for medieval studies, as well as discusses the beginning stages of the creation of an OER Introduction to Medieval Disability .  Topics: open access, medieval textbooks Bibliography: “Increasing Accessibility and Access to the Medieval through Open Textbooks.” New Chaucer Studies: Pedagogy and Profession . Special i...

In this episode, the Accessible Medievalist explores the disability miracles in the Book of the Foundation of St. Bartholomew’s Church, which details the legendary founding of London’s oldest surviving parish church and hospital in 1123CE.  Topics: physical disability, mental disability, caretakers, hospitals, literary analysis, hagiography, saints Bibliography: Biomedicalization: Technoscience, H...

In this episode, the Accessible Medievalist delves a bit into the history of prosthetics, especially the story of a man from the Longobard area of Veneto, Italy, between the sixth and eighth centuries CE, who had an amputated hand and a knife-hand prosthetic. Bibliography: "A Call to Spy.” Blesma: The Limbless Veterans, May 4, 2021. https://blesma.org/news-media/blesma-news/2021/a-call-to-spy...

Ever watch a movie or a TV show supposedly set in the Middle Ages - or inspired by the Middle Ages - and wonder if things were really like that? This episode might help a bit! It is a companion to the Accessible Medievalist’s #MedievalSoMuchMore BINGO Card , a handy guide when checking out any new medieval-esque media.  Episode Content Warning: discussions of rape, various forms of prejudice, refe...

In this episode, the Accessible Medievalist takes a look at medieval evidence for Down Syndrome as well as issues with diagnosing historical disability and what burial practices can tell us. Check out more on the Accessible Medievalist web site !  Bibliography: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “Living with Down Syndrome.” November 22, 2024. https://www.cdc.gov/birth-defects/living-with-...

The welcome episode of the Accessible Medievalist! Check out more on the web site !  Mentioned in Episode: Dr. Dayanna Knight   Credits:  Music - Medieval Theme 01 by Strobotone is licensed under a Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License Clip - The Adventures of Robin Hood from MovieSoundClips