This collection investigates the intersection of disability studies and musicology, questioning how musical structures, performance practices, and historical narratives have historically marginalized or pathologized disabled bodies. Editors Neil William Lerner and Joseph Nathan Straus compile a series of scholarly essays that challenge the traditional focus on the 'able-bodied' performer and listener. By applying critical disability theory to music analysis, the authors argue for a more inclusive understanding of how musical meaning is constructed and perceived across diverse physical and cognitive experiences.

Scholars in the fields of musicology and disability studies recognize this work as a foundational text for integrating these two disciplines. Readers frequently note the academic density of the prose, which requires a strong background in music theory and critical theory to fully grasp the arguments presented.