ABSTRACT
Baluji Shrivastav is a London-based Indian musician, composer, and advocate for the rights of blind and partially sighted musicians, as well as others with disabilities. The Inner Vision Orchestra, a world-music ensemble of visually impaired musicians, is integral to the Foundation's venture. The British Paraorchestra was founded in January 2012 by the renowned conductor, Charles Hazlewood, to coincide with the London Paralympics. Confidence in the mobility needed for an integrated music career with the sighted was a leitmotif among members of Inner Vision and the Paraorchestra with whom we spoke. Artists like Kevin Kern, either by their own choice or that of others, explicitly or implicitly highlight their visual impairment in their marketing. A few representations of like-minded or differently minded stakeholder groups are presented. Any misalignment of the philosophies of sighted and visually impaired stakeholders in such ventures might simply result in disengagement and, ultimately, failure.
