Society has made major strides in its inclusivity of people with disabilities, but it still has a long way to go. And that certainly applies to the worldwide music community — represented in part by the Recording Academy.
Disability Pride Month is observed every July; it's as good a time as ever to meditate on how disability is something most of us will experience in our lives, and that discrimination or exclusion on that basis is intolerable.
To counteract these forces, let's use Disability Pride Month to uphold the experiences of those who live on the spectrum of disability. It's incumbent on the world's leading society of music people to shine a light on those in the music world who are part of this global community.
Let's turn positive thoughts into practical action. Here are five organizations that support music creatives with disabilities.
RAMPD
RAMPD — which stands for Recording Artists And Music Professionals With Disabilities — aims to "amplify disability culture, promote equitable inclusion and advocate for accessibility in the music industry."
The organization was founded by recording artist and accessibility advocate Lachi, who's been vocal about her journey from "low vision to no vision," and celebrating blindness through music and other avenues.
"When we celebrate hip-hop, we celebrate 50 proud years of unbreakable spirit, despite existing in a system built for otherwise," Lachi says. Hip-hop artists with disabilities and mental health conditions create from a place of innovation and drive, navigating success in a world not quite built for their success. It's up to us in the industry to support and propel those creators most impacted, most underrepresented, and most intersected, as they have the richest, most untapped, untold stories of resilience."
Visit RAMPD's website for more information.
Krip Hop Nation
Krip Hop Nation is a worldwide society of artists with disabilities that's been going strong for 16 years, and aims to provide equal opportunities in the music industry to those with disabilities.
"The focus is on people with their skills and abilities, not their disabilities," their website declares. "We do not want pity, we want consideration, equality, respect and recognition to the same extent that every physically and mentally healthy person enjoys them."
Krip Hop Nation was founded by writer, poet and activist Leroy F. Moore Jr., who was diagnosed with cerebral palsy.
"Disability justice was started by Black and brown disabled folks," Moore says, "but there’s a need to rebirth it with Black and brown Krip theory and everyday experiences in the arts, music. activism, writing and thinking."
Check out their website to get the scoop.
SoulTouchin' Experiences
Across a range of industries and spheres, SoulTouchin' Experiences aims to fortify people with disabilities' senses of autonomy and accessibility.
As the organization puts it, they have "a heart a soul commitment to those who need assistance to begin caring for themselves and in turn caring for others."
SoulTouchin' Experiences is dedicated to the issues of "access inclusion and empowerment" in all regards.
"The hustle ain’t accessible. So we hustle different," founder Keith Jones says. "We are not a fully realized movement until we are an inclusive movement."
If you share this cause, you can support them directly — and learn more about their mission — at their website.
Sins Invalid
Sins Invalid declare themselves to be a "disability justice based performance project that incubates and celebrates artists with disabilities."
And intersectionality is the name of the game, as they're focused on "centralizing artists of color and LGBTQ / gender-variant artists as communities who have been historically marginalized."
"Disability Justice is an honoring of the long-standing legacies of resilience and resistance," says co-founder Patty Berne, "which are the inheritance of all of us whose bodies or minds will not conform."
They do this by promoting leadership opportunities for disabled people and providing a nurturing space for artists with disabilities to develop and present artistic works. For more information on Sins Invalid, visit here.
4 Wheel City
Here's how they roll: 4 Wheel City is an entertainment organization offering support to people with disabilities of all stripes.
They were founded by Namel "Tapwaterz" Norris and Ricardo "Rickfire" Velasquez — hip-hop artists in wheelchairs due to the tragedy of gun violence.
Rather than let their circumstances subsume them, though, they've opted to give back via programs that connect hip-hop to disability culture.
"To me, hip hop culture and disability culture are interconnected and one in the same. They both come from underserved communities who've had to fight for their respect, for their place in society," Norris says. "However, as we celebrate 50 years of hip hop, the voices and contributions of many disabled hip hop artists continue to go unheard. The goal is to change this so the next 50 years of hip hop includes many more stories and music from disabled artists like myself."
With folks like Norris and Velasquez — and everyone else above — in the disability community's corner, the needle of disability justice is pushed ever forward.
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