This is thinking cluesive I'm Tim Vegas. I've been told I can ramble when I tell stories. So I'll attempt to be succinct with this one. I'm in the audience of the gymnasium with my class. This is probably around 2010 or so. And I'm waiting for my school's spring musical to start. There's an opening scene with the whole cast about to begin, and the music starts. The lights go on. And everything goes according to plan, except for the fact that there is an extra cast member dressed in plainclothes singing and dancing with his peers. For a moment, we think that this was on purpose. The boy, let's call him Mike, who spends most of his day in a segregated self contained classroom, I was standing in the front row with the performers, as he attempted to copy them in their every move. What was so interesting was that I heard no snickering no laughter, no angry parents saying he ruined the show. In fact, a number of people came up to me and said, how cool it was that no one was really doing anything except letting him be who he was for a moment. I happen to agree with that sentiment. The how he got up there in the first place, is not as important as the why he was there. He wanted to participate. He wanted some attention, he wanted to belong. Needless to say, he was not supposed to be there. And as quick as his moment came, it went during the scene change. I was talking with a colleague after the show, and she noted that a student had come up to her to describe what happened and they remarked in the paraphrasing, Mrs. So and so it was straight up inclusion, I believe the student was correct to a certain degree, we can experience what inclusion feels like and looks like in these moments. And it certainly was a start because he was there and present. But for this particular student inclusion was fleeting, he would have been better served had been included from the beginning, a valued part of the cast, even if it was only for as long as he was up on stage in that moment. Inclusion is not about the time spent with typical peers is about being missed when you were not there. In a moment. I want to introduce you to Diane strand, an accomplished entrepreneur, influential leader in the creative industry. And if you want to know more about promoting Inclusion in the Arts, stick around. We'll be right back after a short break.