WALTHAM, Mass. — Like most high school students, we have spent years studying American history — from the cultures of the Native Americans to the Revolutionary War, right up to the 21st century. Yet when we look closely at the story of who we are as a nation, we find little, if anything, about the history of people with disabilities.

This is not surprising. The extent of what most Americans know about disability is limited — we see bright blue logos plastered on parking spaces or hear accounts of friends with challenges. We may know people with autism or dyslexia. We may see loved ones with permanent injuries or physical ailments. But for many, the understanding ends there.

This was pretty much true of us, too, until we spent most of our junior-year American history class studying disability and creating “ Division, Unity, Hardship, and Progress: A Disability History of the United States,” a museum exhibition to share what we learned with the public. It is on view at the Charles River Museum of Industry and Innovation here in Waltham.

Throughout the year, we researched and analyzed historical artifacts and subject areas related to disability history. We learned about institutionalization and the reasons behind person-first language. We investigated the origins of polio leg braces, learned about advances in hearing aids and the invention of blind baseball. We also interviewed important figures in the disability community, like Matan Koch, a lawyer with cerebral palsy who served on President Barack Obama’s National Council on Disability, and Richard Robison, the executive director emeritus of the Federation for Children With Special Needs, who is the father of two children with Down syndrome.