The exclusion of disabled children from ordinary schools, which occurred routinely in England until the late twentieth century, is mirrored in the way disability and difference have been largely ignored in the history of education. The first half of this paper outlines some of the key developments that have taken place in the field of education and disability, with reference to changes in the social and intellectual context since 1960. The second half of the paper provides an appraisal of contemporary approaches to the historiography of education and disability, in the light of the discussion in the previous sections. It is suggested that the different kinds of historical work that have been carried out can be linked to differences in the way the identity and interests of disabled children have been conceptualized. Existing work undertaken in disciplines such as disability studies and critical policy studies, and less orthodox historical research such as narrative and "insider perspective" research, provides fresh starting points for future research in the history of disability and education. (Contains 66 footnotes.)