My Disbility and Ukuleles

joeybug

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Hey Everyone :D

Firstly, I don't have a video for the DU, so I won't post again until I have one of my own or from someone else!

I was talking with some UU members and they suggested I post this thread about Ukulele playing and having a disability (either a visible or invisible one).

As the majority of you know, I have a few conditions that limit my life and my Ukulele playing. I'm 29 and use a wheelchair 95% of the time, I have been playing Ukulele for about 10 1/2 months (started 31st August 2010) and have learnt many things, both about the Ukulele and what I need to overcome in order to be the best player I can be - not talking about becoming the next Jake, because I know that's not possibly, but basically just being the best I KNOW I can be :D

So, what have I learnt? Well, firstly that I'll always need a strap to play for a period of time, I can usually manage a few minutes without one and then the Ukulele becomes to heavy and my arms are tired and sore, so I use an Uke Leash (which I love, thanks Lori!) and that's enabled me to play and practise for my 30 + mins a day. I've also learnt that even though I can stand and walk a bit, I can't do that with an Ukulele, I have to focus too much on staying upright that I just can't do it while holding one of my prized possessions!

I've also learnt that joining an existing Ukulele club is damn near impossible, I looked into it and they told me they didn't always (or at all really) use disabled friendly venues and it would be hard to limit themselves to that when they had so many people happy with the venues anyway, I understood, so I looked into starting my own group and have four members (including myself) but am struggling to find a venue that is both disabled accessible and doesn't mind having some Ukulele players there one evening. As much as I want to succeed and play with a group, it's costing me $24 a month to run the site and we've not been able to have a meet up other than putting it at my own house (which is obviously accessible) and people aren't really that happy about doing that (for obvious reasons) so I'm thinking I'll have to let that dream die for now and maybe one day I'll get to "Jam"

I've also learnt that an Ukulele will brighten even the worst pain days, just being able to sturm some chords is enough to bring a smile to my face and I love it :D UU is a great place and I have made so many friends here that I wouldn't give up without a fight!

Anyway, I know there are other disabled Ukers on UU (we have a group too!) so if you want to chime in with what you've learnt while Uke'in feel free!

Have a great day!

Joey

P.S Keep :music:
 
Well... Ya know I have issues too bug. I was a very competent bass/guitar player in the day that disability took from me. I learned several years ago that I could still play music through the ukulele though. I still play guitar every so often, but with my limitations, just not happy with the results. But again, the uke fills that need for me. What gives me inspirations, is a couple people I have seen on youtube. One guy has very deformed arms, and plays the uke as it sits on it's back in his lap. And he is very good. Non one can tell me ya can't play because of disability.
 
Hang in there J-Bug. I wonder what type of meeting places aren't accessible? Other than that, and my ignorance may show here, I suppose most coffee houses are accessible, and there are a number of them that would like a club to meet on their non busy nights. The group I've been going to meets in one such place, and they give us the back half of the seating area. They manage to sell us a few meals and a good number of drinks, which is better than nothing for them on a Thursday evening. Another idea is a meeting room at the local library.
 
Well... Ya know I have issues too bug. I was a very competent bass/guitar player in the day that disability took from me. I learned several years ago that I could still play music through the ukulele though. I still play guitar every so often, but with my limitations, just not happy with the results. But again, the uke fills that need for me. What gives me inspirations, is a couple people I have seen on youtube. One guy has very deformed arms, and plays the uke as it sits on it's back in his lap. And he is very good. Non one can tell me ya can't play because of disability.

Oh, I wasn't trying to say you "can't" play because of a disability..sorry if it came off like that

Hang in there J-Bug. I wonder what type of meeting places aren't accessible? Other than that, and my ignorance may show here, I suppose most coffee houses are accessible, and there are a number of them that would like a club to meet on their non busy nights. The group I've been going to meets in one such place, and they give us the back half of the seating area. They manage to sell us a few meals and a good number of drinks, which is better than nothing for them on a Thursday evening. Another idea is a meeting room at the local library.

Might see if the local Starbucks will allow us to play one evening or something..or the local library, thanks for the ideas! :D
 
Joey..Glad that you have found the ukulele and have found some joy and happiness in life. It's a lot to bear for sure. It's the little things that make life worth living most days...

Keep on strumming my friend!
 
have you thought about meeting outside, at a local park or something? It only works as long as the weather is good, but you'll at least be able to meet and jam while you look for an indoor venue.
 
have you thought about meeting outside, at a local park or something? It only works as long as the weather is good, but you'll at least be able to meet and jam while you look for an indoor venue.

Thanks for the tip! Gonna try our local library and starbucks and see if we can find an inside venue, and if not then maybe we could meet in the local park!
 
Keep on rockin Jbug! Was going to suggest outside but Austin beat me to it.
 
I have mild cerebral palsy and a slightly crippled right hand (when I was a baby, my right arm was almost completely paralysed). In the last couple of years, I have also developed joint pain in my hands. I just don't have much luck with hands, I guess. Throughout my life, I have struggled with playing instruments up to speed. I love music but just can't play that quickly with my right hand (or even my left, thanks to the CP), and I have to admit to feeling a certain envy when I listen to people going "tweedleedleedleedleedle" effortlessly. Since I like picking when I play the uke, I often find myself running up against my speed limit. The added pain from the whole joint issue doesn't help either, but it's the lack of speed and coordination that bothers me the most.

When I was a teenager, my mother made the mistake of telling my flute teacher about the cerebral palsy. The teacher started asking me all these questions and assuring me that I could still be QUITE good at the flute if I only worked very, very hard at it. Before that point, I hadn't really thought of myself as disabled, but the teacher made it clear that she was now putting me and her non-disabled students in different categories. Hurrah.

Joeybug: I second the "park" suggestion. You might also try community centres or even pubs.
 
Hi Joey, I admire your positive attitude and how you just keep on truckin' through your obstacles. And, again as a side note my uke group meets in a music store and everyone in the group pays a few bucks toward the cost of the space. It makes me very sad to hear that you are limited not because of having enough people to form a group but because you are unable to access the meeting space. It is wrong Joey, and again I admire your attitude. I hope you don't have to give up your uke group.
 
I have mild cerebral palsy and a slightly crippled right hand (when I was a baby, my right arm was almost completely paralysed). In the last couple of years, I have also developed joint pain in my hands. I just don't have much luck with hands, I guess. Throughout my life, I have struggled with playing instruments up to speed. I love music but just can't play that quickly with my right hand (or even my left, thanks to the CP), and I have to admit to feeling a certain envy when I listen to people going "tweedleedleedleedleedle" effortlessly. Since I like picking when I play the uke, I often find myself running up against my speed limit. The added pain from the whole joint issue doesn't help either, but it's the lack of speed and coordination that bothers me the most.

When I was a teenager, my mother made the mistake of telling my flute teacher about the cerebral palsy. The teacher started asking me all these questions and assuring me that I could still be QUITE good at the flute if I only worked very, very hard at it. Before that point, I hadn't really thought of myself as disabled, but the teacher made it clear that she was now putting me and her non-disabled students in different categories. Hurrah.

Joeybug: I second the "park" suggestion. You might also try community centres or even pubs.

I, like you, never thought of myself as "disabled" even though this has been my life for many years, it wasn't until I needed a wheelchair that I really took on that label, and even then with difficulty, it's not right that you were seem as "different" because of your disability which had nothing to do with your skill as a flute player.

I'm glad the Uke is something you have access to, it really has opened up my eyes as to music, which I loved playing as a kid/teenager but then my lung function declined (I'm an Oboe player or at least was) and I couldn't anymore and was told I couldn't take lessons because they didn't want the responsibility of taking on a "disadvantaged player"

Glad you can finger pick, do you have a YouTube? Would love to see/hear some of your playing and subscribe... :D

Hi Joey, I admire your positive attitude and how you just keep on truckin' through your obstacles. And, again as a side note my uke group meets in a music store and everyone in the group pays a few bucks toward the cost of the space. It makes me very sad to hear that you are limited not because of having enough people to form a group but because you are unable to access the meeting space. It is wrong Joey, and again I admire your attitude. I hope you don't have to give up your uke group.

I've found a local park that will let us play there, so have now got a meeting place, just need somewhere for bad weather days, hoping people will now come to the first meet up as it's no longer in a private residence and hopefully that'll mean I can continue, see no point if we're not actually doing anything! I know it's wrong, but it's also a fact of life that not everything or everyone or everywhere will accommodate for disabilities and so you just have to accept these things sometimes, doesn't mean it's right, doesn't mean it doesn't upset, doesn't mean it shouldn't be changed, but it's one group in one town, if they don't want me to play with them, not much I can do about it, so I might as well have something positive out of it all :D
 
Hey Joey,

my first question was why is it a problem for you and your friends to meet at your place? To me it seems like an obvious choice, but you mentioned that this was clearly not an option. Just wondering why?

I'm an insulin dependent diabetic and have been nearly 26 years. Many struggles health wise which are accelerating as I age, but like you Joey, the uke is my muse, my solace and my lifeline. It's a distraction from wearisome self-indulgence and lifts me up when I'm stuck in a dark place. I have had this conversation with my mother several times...there is no-one happier on the planet that I have fallen in love with the ukulele than she. With my history of chronic depression and drug addiction, she is convinced, as I am, that I would be dead were it not for this humble little instrument. It is a source of constant wonder and joy that occupies my mind for hours each day. I owe much to it. I can honestly say that I am never happier than when playing my ukes. People see it on my face and notice the alteration in my moods before and after. It really does mean that much to me.

All the best with getting your uke group off the ground mate.
 
Hey Joey,

my first question was why is it a problem for you and your friends to meet at your place? To me it seems like an obvious choice, but you mentioned that this was clearly not an option. Just wondering why?
All the best with getting your uke group off the ground mate.

People aren't happy to come to a stranger they've never met before and in their house without the knowledge that I'm not some loony, we tried meeting at my house and no one felt happy about the venue enough to want to come, so the park is set for the next one and hopefully, a public, well lit place with other people will make people happier about venturing out to a meet up...

Oh, and I agree, the Ukulele has saved my life in many different ways many different times, it's such a great instrument!
 
People aren't happy to come to a stranger they've never met before and in their house without the knowledge that I'm not some loony, we tried meeting at my house and no one felt happy about the venue enough to want to come, so the park is set for the next one and hopefully, a public, well lit place with other people will make people happier about venturing out to a meet up...

Oh, and I agree, the Ukulele has saved my life in many different ways many different times, it's such a great instrument!

I think we can safely say that you ARE, in fact, a loony! You play ukulele! It's a prerequisite!

Joking aside, thanks for this thread, and all the other stuff that you do. You inspire me.
 
No, I know you wern't saying that JBug my Brudette... I just chimed in because I share some of the same issues you do, and disabilities can make things more difficult, but, that I know of some of the hardships that come with it. It's inner strength and resourcefulness that keeps us in the game. You started your own group, because another couldn't accomidate ya. That is what I am talking about. It's the perserverance that keeps us happy and living life.. ;)
 
I, like you, never thought of myself as "disabled" even though this has been my life for many years, it wasn't until I needed a wheelchair that I really took on that label, and even then with difficulty, it's not right that you were seem as "different" because of your disability which had nothing to do with your skill as a flute player.

I'm glad the Uke is something you have access to, it really has opened up my eyes as to music, which I loved playing as a kid/teenager but then my lung function declined (I'm an Oboe player or at least was) and I couldn't anymore and was told I couldn't take lessons because they didn't want the responsibility of taking on a "disadvantaged player"

Glad you can finger pick, do you have a YouTube? Would love to see/hear some of your playing and subscribe... :D



I've found a local park that will let us play there, so have now got a meeting place, just need somewhere for bad weather days, hoping people will now come to the first meet up as it's no longer in a private residence and hopefully that'll mean I can continue, see no point if we're not actually doing anything! I know it's wrong, but it's also a fact of life that not everything or everyone or everywhere will accommodate for disabilities and so you just have to accept these things sometimes, doesn't mean it's right, doesn't mean it doesn't upset, doesn't mean it shouldn't be changed, but it's one group in one town, if they don't want me to play with them, not much I can do about it, so I might as well have something positive out of it all :D

I don't have a YouTube channel, but here's a recording of me noodling on my concert pineapple. It's an improvisation, so there are some icky bits and hesitations, but oh well. And here's me noodling on my gourd banjo uke. And here's one on yet another ukulele (somewhat similar to the first one in some of the noodles). Perhaps someday I'll make a recording of an actual song and not just me fooling around.

Regarding accessibility: it can occasionally be a big issue in Toronto. An old movie theatre was demolished several years ago because it couldn't afford the alterations that would make it accessible. It was a perfectly good movie theatre otherwise, but not everyone could get at it. (While it was being demolished, it collapsed and killed a guy in the building next door, but that's another story.) I understand why the uke group wouldn't want to change for one person, but it still has the effect of excluding that one person, and it's therefore discriminatory and too bad.
 
recovery instrument

I think the ukulele is the best disability instrument for me. I brought my uke with me to get my hip replacement and played it in my room. I can play it in my easy chair as I am recovering. I love the size of them for portability.
 
Thanks for sharing. Nice to hear the stories from people overcoming various obstacles - very inspiring. Thank you.
 
I don't have a YouTube channel, but here's a recording of me noodling on my concert pineapple. It's an improvisation, so there are some icky bits and hesitations, but oh well. And here's me noodling on my gourd banjo uke. And here's one on yet another ukulele (somewhat similar to the first one in some of the noodles). Perhaps someday I'll make a recording of an actual song and not just me fooling around.

Regarding accessibility: it can occasionally be a big issue in Toronto. An old movie theatre was demolished several years ago because it couldn't afford the alterations that would make it accessible. It was a perfectly good movie theatre otherwise, but not everyone could get at it. (While it was being demolished, it collapsed and killed a guy in the building next door, but that's another story.) I understand why the uke group wouldn't want to change for one person, but it still has the effect of excluding that one person, and it's therefore discriminatory and too bad.

Wow, your playing is beautiful! And I'm not just saying that, I mean it, I love the Pineapple improv :D
 
Joeybug, that's so unfortunate that you can't easily find a place to meet that is wheelchair-accessible. I hope you find a solution to this soon.

I don't talk about it much, but I probably should do so more in order to raise awareness. I have a rare "invisible illness" called hyperaldosteronism. You would have no idea by looking at me, but it affects just about every area of my life. A big part of it is food - either directly or indirectly, because of the illness there are a bazillion things that I can't eat. This might be just about the most frustrating thing about this illness, because it comes up just about every single day. A simple "no thank you" never suffices - people always want to know why I can't eat such and such, or why I don't want to join them for dessert, or whatever. I've been dealing with this for a quarter of my life and still don't know how to handle it elegantly.

An aspect of the illness is that my potassium levels are difficult to control. This is the one thing about the disease that impacts my ukulele playing - when my potassium gets too low, sometimes my left hand just decides to stop working well and I either have to just slow down, play something less complex, or just stop entirely (because I don't think it's good to practice when all I'm doing is making mistakes over and over).

I have to agree with what others have said about the healing powers of the ukulele though (ad of music in general). I've had a pretty difficult last couple of years, but through some amazing force of nature, the ukulele came to me right when the illness was at its worst. I've had that lovely distraction to get me through it, and really, I'm not sure what I would have done without it!
 
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