Jay Pocknell

Music Support Officer

RNIB

About Me

Jay is a mixing and mastering engineer, producer, and guitarist. He is also partially sighted, making him a prime contact for matters relating to music and visual accessibility.

He is Music Support Officer at RNIB - the Royal National Institute of Blind People - where he is tasked with improving access to music-making for blind and partially sighted people, including advocating for improved accessibility within music and audio hardware and software.

Jay is the also the founder and Project Manager of Sound Without Sight, a community-driven online hub that connects blind and partially sighted musicians to each other, and to resources, opportunities, and support.

Jay is a graduate of the Music and Sound Recording (Tonmeister) course at the University of Surrey and is credited on several top-10 releases including a UK Number 1 album. He has a proven track record of working with emerging independent artists to help them obtain their first radio plays.

Sessions

  • Accessibility in Audio Meetup

    Connect with MASSIG and Sound Without Sight
    17:00 - 17:40 UTC | Friday 26th September 2025 | ADCx Gather
    Online Only

    As audio production techniques and technologies evolve, so too must the ways we think about accessibility. To ensure all musicians can use the tools available, it is essential that access is evaluated throughout their design, not as an add-on or afterthought. This meetup seeks to bring together developers with an interest in accessibility, musicians with disabilities, and organisations driving change in the audio and music industries. Get a sneak peek at some of the plans for accessibility at ADC25 and meet members of the MIDI Association’s Music Accessibility Special Interest Group and Sound Without Sight - an online community of […]

  • Interactive Panel: Accessibility in Audio Tech
    13:30 - 17:00 UTC | Monday 10th November 2025 | Conservatory
    Beginner
    Intermediate
    Advanced

    Building on ADC24’s ‘Inclusive Design in Audio Products: Why, Why, How?’ workshop, this symposium comprises a series of sessions that will unpick the systematic barriers to accessibility within the audio industry, and highlight solutions that you can embed into your practice. Disabled musicians, accessibility consultants, and representatives from organisations driving change will share insights into the opportunities for a more inclusive industry. The concepts covered will be suitable for beginner, intermediate, and advanced audio programmers, though the sessions will not delve too deeply into code examples. Speakers • Jay Pocknell (RNIB; Sound Without Sight) • Mxshi Mo (Musician) • Tim […]

  • Workshop: Inclusive Design within Audio Products

    What, Why, How?
    14:00 - 17:00 UTC | Monday 11th November 2024 | Empire
    Beginner
    Intermediate
    Advanced

    Following the success of last year’s ‘An Introduction to Inclusive Design of Audio Products’, we are delighted to be presenting a follow up this year. The session will promote the work happening across the audio industry to support accessibility and inclusive design. We will focus on providing practical design principles for attendees to take away, backed up by engaging lived experience insights and demonstrations. In particular, we will showcase the practices of two companies who have been making big waves within accessible music in the last year: Ableton and Arcana Instruments. Jay Pocknell and Tim Yates will be exploring how […]

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