{"id":720,"date":"2024-07-10T12:25:31","date_gmt":"2024-07-10T12:25:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/wolfsonyoungpeople\/?p=720"},"modified":"2025-01-03T15:52:59","modified_gmt":"2025-01-03T15:52:59","slug":"amplifying-accessibility-lessons-from-a-disabled-young-musician","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/wolfsonyoungpeople\/amplifying-accessibility-lessons-from-a-disabled-young-musician\/","title":{"rendered":"Amplifying Accessibility: lessons from a disabled young musician"},"content":{"rendered":"

In this blog post, Keys (she\/they), a Welsh musician with a disability, shares three lessons they have learnt on their journey from street busking to playing music at the Green Man Festival. Keys also reflects on how creating music helps their wellbeing and mental health.<\/p>\n

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\"\"My name is Rightkeysonly, the two-handed, one-handed, musician, that\u2019s great at high- fives and terrible at jazz hands. At night, you can find me immersed in the rave scene, bouncing across stages as the bass vibrates through my toes.By day, I head Amplifying Accessibility,<\/a> a project searching for inclusive ways D\/deaf, disabled, and neurodivergent individuals can progress their career in music.<\/figure>\n

I\u2019m also a 24-year-old that never saw anyone like them in the music industry.<\/span><\/p>\n

Having ADHD and Erbs Palsy has often meant that I have had to adapt to a world that felt like it wasn\u2019t designed to have me in it. This can be a heavy weight to carry.<\/p>\n

However, there are also many beautiful things that come with being different.<\/p>\n

So, I\u2019m going to share a few lessons I have learnt, as a diverse person in music, so that you can enjoy more of those beautiful moments.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Lesson 1: Getting help helps<\/strong><\/p>\n

Even when you\u2019re a rockstar, additional needs don\u2019t just disappear.<\/p>\n

I once performed three times on the same day, in two different cities, during the peak of summer, which wasn\u2019t uncommon after I started to produce dance music. However, at the same time, my health deteriorated.<\/p>\n

To advocate for myself, I made an Access Rider.<\/p>\n

An Access Rider is a document disabled creatives share with colleagues to explain how to support their needs when working together. This is up to you to design how you would like, and I began with the question:<\/p>\n

If I could have everything I ever needed, what would that be?<\/em>\u202f<\/em><\/p>\n

This helps me to get the correct support in place and prioritise my own wellbeing, without all those pesky burnouts!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Lesson 2: You are human<\/strong><\/p>\n

One of the reasons I chose to pursue music was because I had genuinely been told I was not \u201cable enough<\/em>\u201d to be a \u201creal musician<\/em>\u201d. This was infuriating, and fuelled my desire to ensure that less people experienced the discrimination that I, and other artists with a disability, had faced in music.<\/p>\n

But take it from someone who is often the tokenistic poster girl for disability, you don\u2019t always have to fight.
\nThere are days where it all feels like too much, and you just want someone to ask you your favourite colour before they ask you to fill out another diversity and inclusion survey.<\/p>\n

If your body and brain say it\u2019s time to rest, it\u2019s time to rest.<\/p>\n

There is always tomorrow.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Lesson 3: Use your barriers to your advantage<\/strong><\/p>\n

This doesn\u2019t mean skipping the queues at Disneyland, it means turning your disadvantages into your strengths.<\/p>\n

When I started in the music scene, my anxiety was soul consuming. I\u2019d learnt how to beatbox, using a loopstation to repeat the sounds back to me, but as soon as I entered a venue the fear would hit, and I would leave without performing.<\/p>\n

Here, I needed to mould the music to suit me.<\/p>\n

I began to perform off stage, sat on the floor, not making eye contact with a single person, as if I was in my bedroom at home. It was weird and unusual, but it made me feel comfortable and everyone loved it. I even gained the title \u2018Floor Girl\u2019<\/em> in a few places.<\/p>\n

My wellbeing became a part of the performance, a priority over what was deemed \u201cnormal\u201d for a musician to do.<\/p>\n

If something isn\u2019t working, you have the power to change it, too.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

About Keys<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"Whether you\u2019re able or disabled, I hope this article has helped you somehow, and if you would like to chat more about accessibility in the music industry you can email me (amplifyingaccessibility@gmail.com<\/a>) or find me on Instagram (@rightkeysonly<\/a>).<\/figure>\n

My organisation Amplifying Accessibility<\/a> also provides free mentoring support to music industry workers who are d\/Deaf, disabled, or neurodivergent, and consultation to organisations wishing to learn how to become more inclusive in music industry practice.<\/p>\n

Thank you to Keys for sharing their story with us.<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Resources:<\/strong><\/p>\n