Nora Talks Panelist Presentations: James Cansler

At this year’s Training Camp, The Nora Project welcomed a panel of esteemed individuals with disabilities to share their thoughts and perspectives about what inclusion should look like in schools. Each panelist provided a presentation with their own personal story, and later came together for a discussion facilitated by Torrie Dunlap of Kids Included Together. On the blog this month, we’ll be highlighting each of these presentations.

We had the distinct pleasure of working with James Cansler this summer as we prepared our materials for the Nora Talks Panel. James’ charming demeanor made the process fun, and we were so lucky to learn more about him and his experiences growing up, as well as more recently as an artist.

James Cansler is an artist, rapper, and all around renaissance man. This video provides some personal background about James and includes background about his passion for art--painting, in particular. You can learn more about Aspire Chicago’s Art360 program in which James participates in this article.

In his talk, James shares his advice for teachers and students about what it means to be a good friend, and what inclusion should look like. After watching James’ talk, here’s what our teachers had to say:

• “I learned from James that I need to teach explicitly about anti-bullying and how to be an includer.”

• “I appreciated James’s messages that a good friend listens, is a shoulder to cry on, and provides a place to sleep. And his definition of inclusion, to be a part of fun stuff, and includers, people who ask if someone would like to join in, I just love.”

• “I would say my biggest takeaways from this are how important it is to LISTEN and let those with disabilities be HEARD!”

We know you’ll learn a great deal from listening to James, as well. Let us know what you think in the comments!