Disability History Month (DHM) runs from mid-November to mid-December and aims to promote disabled people's rights and their struggle for equality.

As part of our content surrounding the initiative, here are some of the music industry's essential resources and profiles of organisations working to support those with disabilities and more.

You can also find out more about ICMP's Disability and Wellbeing support. 

Attitude is Everything 

Attitude is Everything is a charity set up in 2000 to improve access to live gigs for those with disabilities. 

This work is undertaken through the organisation's UK-government endorsed Live Events Access Charter, training, consultancy, resources and industry campaigns including its Next Stage initiative, a network offering support and resources for disabled music creators.

So far, the charity has delivered training to over 10,000 creative professionals and worked in partnership with over 200 festivals and venues (28 percent of them being venues or festivals under 500 capacity) to ensure they are compliant with best practice access requirements.

Find out more (Photo credit - Attitude is Everything LinkedIn)

Drake Music

According to Drake Music, the organisation works where "music, disability and technology meet". It does this by creating opportunities and instruments that make music fully accessible, improving access to music-making and creating a new ecosystem where disabled and non-disabled musicians can work together.

Drake Music is a national arts charity working across the UK as a National Portfolio Organisation for Arts Council England and is also funded through Youth Music.  

Some of their achievements to date include the creation of the Kellycaster guitar, a new type of instrument built bespoke to Disabled musician John Kelly's access needs. 

Find out more 

The Evelyn Glennie Foundation 

Evelyn Glennie is a Scottish percussionist, composer and founder of the Evelyn Glennie Foundation. The deaf musician has been working to champion listening as a force for enhanced communication and positive social change over the course of her career. 

Her foundation was set up to showcase "her distinctive listening practices, her legacy and her vast career archive together to inspire active, receptive listening, helping to create a society where communication and social cohesion are improved by the act of listening".

Evelyn's achievements alongside the foundation are many - she is known as the first person to successfully create and sustain a full-time career as a solo percussionist. Her CV includes work with Bjork and a BAFTA Award nomination for her score for the first series of Lynda La Plante's ground-breaking crime drama 'Trial & Retribution' and more.

Find out more 

The OHMI Trust 

The trust works to help aspiring musicians with physical impairments play the instruments they want to play; at school, home, or in a professional ensemble.

Numerous musicians have been supported by the organisation, with its support including developing bespoke flutes, clarinets, and even a set of bagpipes. 

The OHMI Competition challenges instrument makers, designers and technicians to create and develop musical instruments that can be played without the use of one hand and arm.

Lia Mice, Programme leader of ICMP's MA Creative Music Production, and inventor of the one-handed violin is now on the organisation's board of trustees. 

Find out more (Photo credit - The OHMI)

The Independent Society of Musicians

The Independent Society of Musicians (ISM) is a representative non-union body for musicians, campaigning on the behalf of creatives to champion their work and rights. 

As part of its work, ISM undertakes campaigns to tackle discrimination across the music sector and advocate for better protections for disabled musicians. 

The organisation offers a library of free webinars about disability and music from its sister charity, the ISM Trust, delivered in partnership with experts including Music and the Deaf and the Amber Trust. There are also other resources and content available on its website.

Find out more 

Musicians' Union

The Musicians' Union (MU) is a trade union representing musicians working in the UK across all sectors of the music business.

The MU offers various resources on its website to help support those working in music with a disability. 

According to the organisation, "access to music education, securing access requirements, disability discrimination and assumptions about what disabled musicians can and can't do" are some of the issues it works with creatives on. 

Find out more (Photo credit - MU website)

Open Up 

Since 2007, Open Up has helped special schools set up accessible orchestras, so that hundreds of young disabled people get first access to music education every year.

The organisation has spent the last decade working alongside young disabled people, teachers and music leaders, to create the Clarion – an award-winning, accessible musical instrument that can be played independently with any part of the body, including the eyes.

It is also behind the National Open Youth Orchestra, a pioneering inclusive orchestra where 11-25 year-old disabled and non-disabled musicians rehearse and perform together.

Find out more (Photo credit - Open Up website)

The Amber Trust 

Founded in 1995, the trust is the only national charity dedicated to supporting vision impaired children with their musical development and education.

It aims to enhance the lives of as many of the 25,000 vision impaired children in the UK as possible through music, and to promote high quality music provision.

Its work includes providing grants for young people to undertake music lessons, invest in instruments and specialist equipment, concert tickets alongside accommodation and travel for music-related activities.

Find out more