This chapter examines disability within the sociopolitical and cultural frameworks of state socialist Eastern Europe, addressing a critical gap in disability history. While much of the existing scholarship has centered on Western contexts, this chapter focuses on the specific trajectories of disability policies, activism, and lived experiences in Eastern Europe during the twentieth century, from the founding of the Soviet Union to the collapse of state socialism in 1989. The discussion begins with an overview of historiography during state socialism, highlighting how narratives of disability were predominantly shaped by state-controlled associations for the blind and deaf, as well as special educators and medical professionals. These perspectives often framed disability within the ideological imperatives of socialist productivity and rehabilitation. After 1989, new approaches emerged, particularly in interdisciplinary and intersectional research, addressing themes such as activism, ethnic minorities, and the role of cultural memory in shaping disability histories. A significant focus is placed on the Soviet Union’s influence on disability policies across Eastern Europe, including defectology and the classification of disabilities for labor assessment. These policies were adapted to local traditions, creating hybrid models of education and rehabilitation. This chapter also examines transnational networks of knowledge exchange within Eastern Europe and beyond, particularly with the Global South, challenging the notion of the Iron Curtain as impermeable. By situating disability within the broader socialist vision of society, this analysis reveals how disability activism, while politically constrained, operated both within and beyond the state apparatus. Through these themes, the discussion explores disability under state socialism and its enduring impact on contemporary disability discourses in Eastern Europe, highlighting the potential for further comparative and transnational research.