alkanechain

Not OP, but I played violin from grade school through college and can tell you that I had a wheelchair-bound classmate who played viola. It's totally possible!

My fiance and I are getting married later this year and we want to ask for a good vacuum cleaner as a gift (the one we have now cost me $30 and it's terrible... ah, grad school).

Right now we live in a small studio apartment with hardwood floors with not a lot of space for storage, but if we're buying a vacuum that could last us 10+ years and don't know if we're going to have mostly hardwood floors or carpet in a few years, what would you suggest?

Not OP, but I play the violin. Take it to a luthier because they have the necessary tools and knowledge to replace the sound post. Even if he managed to stand the sound post up again, having it slightly out of place can alter the tone of the instrument.