Visual impairment

The potential benefits of music therapy for people living with a visual disability are numerous and well documented in the clinical practice of music therapy and research. However, music therapy access is still variable for children and adolescents with blindness and sporadic for adults and elderly living with this disability. Music therapists working with this clientele will often work in interdisciplinarity with other professionals. 

WHO can benefit from music therapy

Music therapy helps children, teenagers, adults and elderly who live with a visual disability in supporting them towards achieving therapeutic goals.

Music therapy helps this clientele to:

• Recognize, express and/or manage emotions
• Promote fine and gross motor skills development
• Better orient themselves in space
• Improve intrinsic motivation
• Lower noise induced distress
• Increase attention
• Foster a secure child-parent attachment
• Foster participation and arousal
• Promote learning of daily activities
• Increase communication skills
• Promote social engagement
• Improve self-regulation and mood
• Stimulate discovery and integration of sensory information.

HOW music therapy is used

A variety of music therapy interventions, methods and techniques can be used with this clientele.  The methods chosen may be receptive, improvisational, compositional, or re-recreative.

Sessions can include:

• Creation of motivating or calming playlists
• Use of adapted instruments and adapted music technology
• Use of music production software
• Formal and adapted learning of an instrument
• Song choice, listening, signing, and discussion
• Songwriting and composition
• Body percussions
• Music and movement experiences
• Vocal and instrumental improvisation
• Use of the vibration of the instruments 
• Involvement in a show or a concert.

Research and references

At the Institute, we believe sharing knowledge is a fundamental part of our role.  Our Resources includes a growing list of research articles, presentations, videos and other documents, all dedicated to demonstrating how music therapy can positively impact this population and many others.

You will find these references, and more:

• Music therapy for students who are both deaf and blind truly works, teacher says
• Exploring music for students who are blind
• Using Music Technology with Children and Adolescents with Visual Impairment and Additional Disabilities.

To discover those references and other available sources of information, click here: Resources & references about Visual impairment