As an American musical icon, Ray Charles revolutionized the soul music genre with his arrangements of distinct rhythms and songs that fused gospel music and jazz . Although most listeners are aware of his disability, they may not realize how influential music was in Charles' life. At a very young age, after contracting glaucoma, Charles' life changed because he became blind. He suddenly faced this reality by expressing his life experiences through music (Rolling Stone). Charles explains that “music is really and truly my blood, you know, my breathing, my respiratory system…” (Leung, 2014) Despite his sudden change in life, Charles quickly learned to play several instruments and produced compositions in braille (Rolling Stone). He then began recording his first single and immediately became a musical sensation not only for his groundbreaking music but also for his classic black sunglasses look. In a way, Ray Charles expressed his disability identity through music. Ray Charles' experience raises important questions about the potential impact music can have on society's perception of disability. Can artists capture insight into their personal experiences with disability? Can they communicate their ideas to listeners and encourage them to develop diverse interpretations? In particular, will listeners with disabilities express their interpretations by developing unique and empowering identities? By encouraging the development of unique identities, can artists offer different perspectives on disability to a wider audience in an accessible and understandable medium like music? In my article, I argue that artists capture important insight into their personal experiences through music. In particular, I assert that...... middle of paper...... 2002.Mackin, Molly. “Sean Forbes is not hard to hear.” Abilities Magazine. http://abilitymagazine.com/Sean-Forbes.html.Rap Genius. “The streets watch the words.” Rap genius. http://rapgenius.com/Jay-z-streets-is-watching-lyrics.———. “Young Gifted and Black Lyrics.” Rap genius. http://rapgenius.com/Jay-z-young-gifted-and-black-lyrics.Rolling Stone. “Ray Charles Biography.” Rolling stone. http://www.rollingstone.com/music/artists/ray-charles/biography.Shakespeare, Tom. “Labels and Badges the Politics of Disability Identity.” In Rights and Wrongs of Persons with Disabilities, 68-82. New York, NY: Routledge, 2006. PDF. Travis, Raphael and Scott W. Bowman. "Ethnic Identity, Self-Esteem, and Variability in Perceptions of Rap Music's Empowering and Risky Influences."Journal Of Youth Studies 15, no. 4 (June 2012): 455-478. SocINDEX with full text, EBSCOhost (accessed May 7, 2014).