Ockelford taught at the Linden Lodge School for the Blind in London back in the 1970s. Ockelford is extremely interested in the way that people understand music, and how that understanding differs for those with disabilities. He finds that many of his blind students are very talented in terms of musical abilities. Currently Ockelfor is the Professor of Music at the University of Roehampton. He is also the Chair of Soundabout, which is a charity focused on teaching music to children. Ockelford is the founder of the AMBER Trust, which supports blind individuals in pursuing music. This comes as no surprise considering that he's been working with blind musicians for over thirty years.