Accessible DJing: A research collaboration with AlphaTheta and Drake Music

The University of Birmingham, AlphaTheta and Drake Music are partnering to redefine accessibility in DJ technology through Accessible DJing, a research‑driven collaboration focused on making DJ technologies more inclusive.

The project combines academic insight with industry expertise and lived experience of disability to produce research-informed guidelines to help with developing more accessible DJ products and contribute new scholarship at the intersection of music technology, disability, creativity and accessible design.

Neurodiverse and disabled DJs are invited to participate hands-on workshops and respond to an online survey to generate actionable recommendations. It offers the chance to shape the next generation of accessible DJ tools, with and for Disabled DJs, unlocking new creative possibilities and ensuring products are usable by a wider, more diverse community of DJs.

The research will directly build on AHRC-funded research, led by Professor Maria Witek and recently published, that challenges assumptions about participation and accessibility in dance music culture, highlighting how disabled DJs adapt DJ tools for performance, creative expression and learning.

Drake Music is a UK charity pioneering the use of accessible music technology to enable more people to make music and AlphaTheta is an industry-leading DJ and music production equipment manufacturer. Together with the University of Birmingham, the project will be at the forefront of innovating DJ products in the music industry.

• Witek MAG, Cooke C, Nash G, Heywood L. Disabled DJs and Dance Music Culture. Popular Music (2026), pp1-21.