Blind spots in music therapy. Toward a critical notion of participation in context of children with visual impairment

Abstract

Visual impairment results in a different way of perceiving the world. The consequences of the absence of vision in early childhood determine individual capacities for participation in a sighted world, but, at the same time, possibilities for participation are determined by society. The purpose of this theoretical paper is to explore and develop a critical notion of participation within the context of music therapy and children with visual impairment, and to examine theoretical ideas that are relevant for practice, research, and further theoretical discussion. Music therapy with children with visual impairment appears to be an underdeveloped field where the focus has been on the individual. The frameworks of community music therapy and disability studies provide a theoretical background to link individual capacities such as protomusicality and musicianship with the social and cultural dimension of music. In discussing possibilities and barriers for participation for children with visual impairment, we argue that a values-based and resource-oriented approach to health musicking might allow for mutual participation with context-transforming potential, by providing a space that is shaped by the universal design of instruments, activities, and environments.