Abstract

This chapter contemplates adaptive music: that is, the means by which physically disabled people with hand/arm impairments modify conventional performance practice and conventional musical equipment in order to play musical instruments. The focus is upon differences between adaptations prescribed in medical settings, under the guidance of health professionals, and adaptations developed by disabled people themselves. Of particular interest are the contrasting economics and sociocultural/class implications of health professional-driven versus disabled people-driven adaptations. These are of more than purely musical interest and may offer lessons for the entire field of disability arts and, indeed, the entire field of disability studies.