Elizabeth McLain

Elizabeth McLain is an Assistant Professor of Musicology and Director of Disability Studies at Virginia Tech. She holds a PhD and MA in Historical Musicology from the University of Michigan, along with BA degrees in Music and History from Virginia Tech.

• Co-founder, Disability Community Technology Center (Mellon-funded)
• Co-chair, Music and Disability Study Group (American Musicological Society)
• Faculty advisor, Disability Alliance at Virginia Tech

Her research bridges 20th-century music, spirituality, and disability justice, analyzing how composers like Messiaen and Crumb integrated spiritual themes with modernist/postmodernist aesthetics. She advocates for inclusive pedagogy, Universal Design for Learning, and CripTech in gaming and arts.

Recent publications include chapters in Messiaen in Context (Cambridge UP) and Mystic Modern (Church Music Association of America). Supported by ACLS and Mellon grants, her current book project, Krip Time, redefines temporality in disabled musicology.

• Disability Impact Award (2021)
• Sally Bohland Award (2020)
• ACLS Digital Justice Seed Grant (2022)
• Mellon Foundation grant (2023, co-PI)

McLain leads transdisciplinary initiatives like Open the Gates Gaming and collaborates with the Disability Resource Center in New River Valley. Her work on cognitive access for TTRPGs and ethically designed CripTech emphasizes community-driven solutions.