Miss Jacqui is a disabled artist who works with the SSHRC-funded project, “Facilitating Anti-Ableist Remote Music Making” (Race, Gender and Diversity Initiative). Her music video for “Barely” (2024) serves as an example of the type of media that artists supported by Building Access in Music Making (BAMM) can produce when they have access to the right resources, such as the recording studios provided in-kind by several of the partners in the network. 

The video also demonstrates one aspect of the importance of recognizing music making as a multisensory experience. In this instance, there is vital visual knowledge imparted by the video as Miss Jacqui is shown in and out of her wheelchair to couple with the lyrics, “Barely, almost exposed. Stripped down, empty, and cold. Unfair, brutal despair. Withdrawn, silent, alone.” Miss Jacqui has previously explained, “When you are a minority in a minority in a minority, you have no choice but to stand out. I want to break as many stereotypes as possible when it comes to me being a Black woman with a disability.” 

BAMM will strive to combat ableism and support musicians with intersectional disability experiences and identities.

Date: May 24, 2024