A presentation about disabilities and musicians.

1. The Sound of Perseverance
Well known musicians and
the disabilities that they have had to
overcome

2. The Ontario Human Rights code
defines disability as:
Any degree of physical disability, infirmity,
malformation or disfigurement that is caused by
bodily injury, birth defect or illness and, without
limiting the generality of the foregoing, includes
diabetes mellitus, epilepsy, a brain injury, any
degree of paralysis, amputation, lack of physical
co-ordination, blindness or visual impediment,
deafness or hearing impediment, muteness or
speech impediment, or physical reliance on a
guide dog or other animal or on a wheelchair or
other remedial appliance or device

3. The Ontario Human Rights code
defines disability as:
•a condition of mental impairment or a
developmental disability
•a learning disability, or a dysfunction in one or
more of the processes involved in understanding or
using symbols or spoken language

4. The Ontario Human Rights code
defines disability as:
•a mental disorder.
•an injury or disability for which benefits were claimed or
received under the insurance plan established under the
Workplace Safety and Insurance Act, 1997.

5. There are 12 different types of disabilities or
functional limitations
1) Physical
2) Hearing
3) Speech
4) Vision
5) Deaf-Blind
6) Smell
7) Touch
8) Taste
9) Intellectual
10) Mental Health
11) Learning
12) Other (Disabilities result from other conditions, accidents, illnesses, and diseases,
including ALS (Lou Gehrig disease), asthma, diabetes, cancer, HIV/AIDS, environmental sensitivities,
seizure disorders, heart disease, stroke, and joint replacement.

6. Many famous
(and less than famous)
musicians have successfully
overcome their disability

7. Hearing Impediment
Michael Bolton: Vocalist
Deaf in one ear
Evelyne Glennie: OBE
Deaf Percussionist
Gabriel Faure: Composer
Late Romantic Era
Ludwig Van Beethoven:
Composer, Early Romantic Era
Pete Townshend: Guitarist
“The Who” composer “Tommy”
Deafness caused by exposure to
loud music
Johnny Ray: Pop performer
50’s and 60’s Performed using
hearing aids

8. Visual Impediment
Alec Templeton:
Pianist/Performer
from the days of radio
Ray Charles: Gifted composer
pianist/entertainer Diane Schurr: Jazz pianist
and vocalist
Andrea Boccelli: Crossover
opera and pop performer
John Stanley: Baroque era
English composer
Jeff Healy: Canadian blues
Guitar/Trumpet player
George Shearing: English
Born Jazz pianist/composer

9. Visual Impediment
Stevie Wonder: Motown
superstar.
Jose Feliciano: Latin American
performer, famous for “Feliz Navidad”
Francesco Landini: Italian
Renaissance composer
Rashaan Roland Kirk: Jazz musician
and political activist
Jean Langlais: French organist
and composer
Fredrick Delius: English
composer.

10. Physical Impediment
James Depriest:
Conductor. Polio
Teddy Pendergrast:
Singer. Spinal Cord Injury
Hank Williams: Singer
Spina Bifida
Rick Allen: Drummer
Amputee
Django Reinhardt:
Jazz Guitarist: Only had two
useable fingers on his left hand
Itzhak Perlman:
World renown
Violinist:
Polio
Ian Dury: British Punk
Vocalist. Polio
Neil Young: Rock Icon
Epilepsy, Polio and Diabetes
Jason Becker: 80’s guitar wiz kid
Played with David Lee Roth:
Lou Gehrig's Disease
Still composing, though unable to
play.

11. Physical Impediment
Hector Berlioz: French
composer: Epilepsy
George Fredrich Handel:
Composer of “The Hallelujah
Chorus”: Epilepsy
Nicolo Paganini: Italian
Violin virtuoso. Played so well
That it was thought he signed a
Deal with the devil: Epilepsy
Kenny G: Smooth Jazz
Saxophonist: Asthma
Marjorie Lawrence :
Opera singer: Polio
Lead Belly: Blues legend:
Lou Gehrigs Disease
Rita McNeil: Canadian
Country Star: Cleft Palate
Jaqueline De Pre: English
Cellist: Multiple Sclerosis
CeDell Davis: Jazz
Guitarist: Polio
Tony Melendez:
Catholic composer,
Performer.
Born without arms

12. Mental or Processing Impediments
Buddy Bolden: Considered
To be the father of Jazz:
Schizophrenia
Tom Harrell: Jazz Trumpeter:
Paranoid Schizophrenia
Elvis: famous entertainer:
Believed to have Obsessive
Compulsive Disorder.
Beethoven: composer
Idiosyncrasies that would
today, be categorized as a Disorder
Harry Belafonte:
Singer/entertainer”
Dyslexia

13. Musicians to watch for!
Patrick Henry Hughes:
Born without eyes and limited movement of
his limbs. Plays piano and trumpet: Composer
Singer
Liu Wei: Chinese pianist born without arms

14. The Challenge of Being
Challenged
Hearing: Play a duet with someone while having your
hearing disrupted (ipod, ear plugs etc)
Vision: Learn a piece of music from someone else by just
listening to it, or having it dictated to you one note at a time
Physical: Reverse your hands and play your instrument
Others..Try to play a piece with the music turned upside
down.
(any other ideas?)