Matt Shuttleworth

Thesis

Thesis

Immobilisation? An Examination of Hardware and Software Facilitation for Music Production Professionals with Motor Disabilities

Supervisor: Jack McNeill and Pete Dale

Existing academic research into hardware and software accessibility centres around the Blind and Visually Impaired (BVI) community (Pedrini et al. 2020). As such, there is a knowledge gap concerning accessibility and individuals with Motor Disabilities. The objective of this project is to address concerns of the accessibility of music production hardware and software for individuals with motor disabilities and to propose and assess improvements.

The study will focus on three areas. The first is the issues faced by the physically impaired individuals themselves, outlining and exploring the issues they face within the field of music production to understand the current problems and provisions for producers with motor disabilities. The second area is how existing and developmental hardware and software could be improved to aid access and the third will examine the relevance of the possible improvements for industry partners, examining the commercial viability for adoption by a larger demographic.

Biography

Biography

Matt is currently pursuing a PhD in Music (AHRC funded through the White Rose College of the Arts and Humanities [WRoCAH]) at the University of York, examining how hardware and software used in music production can be made more accessible to individuals with motor disabilities. This research is inspired by his own lived experience as a disabled multi-instrumentalist and producer.

Matt began his journey at the University in 2021, where he pursued a master's in music production. He has spent the intervening years working as a music technician and lecturing in theology and music at the London School of Theology, where his undergraduate thesis is listed as core reading on their BA pathway. He recently co-authored an article on music and spirituality published in Religions in July 2024. Outside of academia, Matt often enjoys getting trapped in the local cemetery.

Research

Research Interests

Music production and disability studies.

External activity

External activity

• Bist, Dinesh, Matt Shuttleworth, Laura Smith, Peter Smith, and Caroline Walker-Gleaves. 2024. "Music and Spirituality: An Auto-Ethnographic Study of How Five Individuals Used Music to Enrich Their Soul" Religions 15, no. 7: 858.