Disability and artistic performance: Reconsidering rehabilitation and assistive technology

Abstract

We argue for the importance of disabled persons’ access to creative expression. For disabled individuals, the development and enhancement of personhood may not be tied so much to everyday functioning, as to the opportunity for creative expression that affords dignity because it is recognized and validated by a community. Drawing on work by Erving Goffman and Judith Butler, we argue that creative performances can subvert the performativity (in Butler's sense) of disability. We posit that the inclusion of disabled persons in artistic performance settings may contribute to enhanced understanding and more positive attitudes toward disability by others in society. Our views have relevance for health care professionals, for policy-makers and for assistive technology research and development. This article draws on our experience with the concert debut of a novel device – the Virtual Musical Instrument™ (VMI) developed at Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital in Toronto, Canada.