Disability Studies Plenary Lecture
Not Just an Other: Archaeologies of Disability
Kyle L. Jordan
Lecture Theatre A, Student Services Centre, New Museums Site
5.15pm, May 5, 2026
Reception, The Atrium, SSC, 6.30pm
Abstract: Modern models and experiences of disability are typically defined by ‘otherness’ in relation to an institutional or social-cultural idea of ‘normalcy’. When we investigate the ancient past, however, these definitions do not neatly apply. This presents both challenges and opportunities to not only change our understanding of the past but radically reassess the knowledge and practice of our present, and dream of better futures.
This plenary lecture will explore what the disciplines of archaeology and disability studies have to offer each other – and together, the broader social sciences – while also sharing the lived experience of putting it all into practice.
Bio: Kyle Lewis Jordan is an independent early career researcher and freelance heritage professional who specialises in the study of disability in antiquity, with a focus on Egypt and the Middle East. Born with cerebral palsy, Kyle studied at UCL’s Institute of Archaeology before becoming a curator, curating exhibitions at both the Ashmolean Museum and Pitt Rivers Museum in Oxford, and more recently the Verulamium Museum in St Albans. He is also a Research Associate of the National Centre for Academic and Cultural Exchange.
TO RESERVE A RECEPTION PLACE, PLEASE EMAIL lmh37@cam.ac.uk and mp968@cam.ac.uk