Criptocracy: Highlighting Disability Viewpoints on Democracy through Music

Criptocracy is an interview and music project in which disabled individuals share what democratic ideals mean to them. Interviewees are asked what freedom, equality, participation, and justice mean to them, highlighting disability viewpoints on commonly held democratic ideals. Part of the Perelman Center for the Arts’ Democracy Cycle commissioning program, the project will culminate in a performance featuring recordings of the interviewees’ responses, live music, accessibility elements, and more.

In this workshop at the SNF Agora Institute at Johns Hopkins University, composer and SNF Agora visiting fellow Molly Joyce and Sandbox Percussion present selections from the forthcoming work. A panel follows with Robin Marquis (Senior Inclusion Strategist, Prime Access Consulting), Brendan Stern (Associate Professor, Gallaudet University, and a Criptocracy interviewee), and Bonnielin Swenor (Director, Johns Hopkins Disability Health Research Center), moderated by Eric Whitmer (PhD Candidate, University of Michigan).