Alexandra leads workshops with 7th and 8th grade students with learning disabilities. The students worked both collaboratively and independently to reflect on their personal strengths, challenges, and labels with their learning disabilities. The students translated their messages and experiences into visual language. They created artwork using language and text, and re-imaged what written language can be.

“Emma particularly liked the art project she completed with our visiting artist Alexandra Cantle.  Emma shows all of us day in and day out what Ms. Cantle explained to the GALs club…that even though having a learning disability can make doing some things difficult, it is important to identify and capitalize on your strengths in order to achieve your goals in life.”

Step-Up Speak-Out is a participatory project that engaged over 100 young adults with learning and attention difficulties as part of the 2012 Education Revolution Conference. Working collaboratively, the participants reflected on their own personal strengths, challenges, and labels, and translated them with both visual language and spoken expression. Using the historical reference of the soapbox as a raised platform to stand on for the delivering of a message or speech, the participants will re-imagine what a modern soapbox would look like today. They designed and created their own platforms, with a focus on visually highlighting and representing their positive character traits and messages.

These newly created soapboxes were then used to serve as the foundation for spoken pieces. To further highlight each participant’s strengths and talents, they had the opportunity to stand on their soapbox and share with the public their own personal story or journey with learning and attention difficulties.