I wouldn’t call myself an “authority” on anything; but over the years, I have obtained a good bit of knowledge about music from the music itself to some of the artists.
I grew up in a Classical music home where the only time I heard anything else was a piano lesson or practicing for the Sunday service.
Over the years I have learned about many more musical genres, artists, and songs.
As a journalist that focuses on music, my musical knowledge comes in very handy when interviewing artists and bands. We have been known to have a lot of fun in the process but when they talk about their music, I understand what they are saying and can interact with them.
I learned to read the notes on a piece of music even before I could read the words on that page. I still have my own issues when playing music, but I can understand a great deal about the music itself.
Again, far from what I would call an authority figure, I have come to understand a good bit about the needs of People with Disabilities. There is no one size fits all solution to the issue. Far too often, people who work in the field see only the surface of the matter or a person with a disability see only their disability and do not understand the needs of others.
For example, in 1990 the federal government passed the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) that includes numerous guidelines for accommodating people with disabilities. Including seating in the middle of a theater that is easy for a person with mobility issues is a good addition; however, that “wheelchair” seating is no good for a person who has a visual disability! Where is the seating for them???? Or a person with a hearing disability needs line of sight seating close enough to the stage that will allow them to have a clear view of the interpret (if one is even provided) or to read the lips of the people on the stage.
When the ADA was passed, the laws seemed to concentrate on wheelchairs; ignoring the vast majority of people with other disabilities. Wheelchair users make up a very small percentage of the over population of people with disabilities.