At this point you might be saying to yourself, "Yeah, it’s great to make the creation of music accessible to everyone, but in the scope of the world’s problems, should it really be high on the importance list?" We agree that inclusive instrument design can’t hold a candle to some world problems like global warming and access to clean water, but it is an important and largely unnoticed inequality that can be easily corrected through better design. There are thousands of these little inequalities in things we encounter everyday--from handheld can openers, to buildings inaccessible by wheelchair, to instruments that require both arms and 10 fully functional fingers to play--much of our world excludes anyone who deviates from “normal”.
This is particularly important in the creation of music, because making music can be such a huge part of what makes life good. It is self-expression that transcends language and culture, and is a channel for countless emotions. It is a source of joy and pride--who hasn’t felt good when praised after a concert or given a high five after belting out their favorite song? It gives a sense of significance and self-esteem because everyone has music in their soul that only they can express.
These benefits are available to people of all abilities when designers consider the constraints of extreme users to develop new solutions. Designing to these constraints leads to innovation for all, and is what defines inclusive design. If interaction design is the design of products and services through which people can interact with each other, then any sort of inclusive instrument design is good interaction design--it enables people to engage and communicate with each other through music, regardless of ability. And in our book, at least, any design that provides an opportunity for everyone to communicate and feel joy is an important step for social justice.
