Singer/Songwriter brings message of acceptance and inclusivity to Milwaukee

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MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- On Thursday night, Oct. 26, national recording artist Victoria Canal performed the first concert at the Milwaukee Public Library's newly renovated Centennial Hall.

Canal was born without her right arm and uses her platform to encourage others to succeed with disabilities.

She told her audience from the stage, "I'm so happy to be here on so many levels."

Canal's national tour has coincided with a boom in her visibility and success. Born with a limb indifference, she wants others to take inspiration from her success.

In an interview before the concert, Canal told us, "It's special for me to represent disability in that kind of way. Because I think anyone that can see more of what the world is actually like will become a more empathetic person."

IndependenceFirst is a Milwaukee organization that helps people with disabilities live independently.

The organization helped put on the concert.

President and CEO Marci Boucher said, "Victoria Canal is just such an inspiration for everybody because she is doing the dream."

Boucher said Canal shows "Just because you have a disability doesn't mean that you have to stay in bed all day long. You can do whatever you want to do."

Resources were available before and after the concert, an adaptive bike was unveiled to help people enjoy the city, and Canal shared personal stories from the stage.

During a break between songs, she said, "The part that I've been able to provide to the conversation has been around body image and stigma surrounding self-acceptance in society."

Boucher says 118,000 people live with disabilities in the Milwaukee area. But, she says, "Unfortunately, there's a big stigma against people with disabilities. They're just always thought of as less than. And we're trying to change that."

Which is why both she and Canal say representation is so important.

Canal often meets with fans before her shows. Many of them also have disabilities and Canal says, "They usually say they've never seen anyone like them before on a mass scale. And that they really appreciate not feeling as alone."

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