Autism Mates
Cocreating an animation short with young autistic people celebrating friendship and courage
Maitree worked with Autism MATES to reimagine their endearing Timay the Turtle puppet show into a short animation with a powerful anti-bullying message. The animation now forms an important part of Autism MATES primary school education package.
The Timay story is written by Richard Habelrih, co founder of Autism MATES with his mother Randa. Richard is a young man on the autism spectrum and in Timay he transforms his experiences growing up with constant bullying into a story that inspires friendship and inclusion.
Images by Josh Lee, Illustration by April Wong & Yi Kai Chew
Outcomes
- A very successful codesign process with scriptwriter Sarah Hope working closely with Richard to rewrite the work for screen.
- We ran artist workshops with young autistic people who created the beautiful background design elements for the animation.
- Young performers with autism performed all the characters in the story, including Richard as Timay.
Services
Community & Creator Initiatives
Disability Sector
Filming & Animation Production
Education
Sectors
Community & Creator Initiatives
Disability Sector
Filming & Animation Production
Education
“The young artists and performers we engaged were absolutely stand out in their professionalism and work. It was an absolute pleasure working with them,” says Maitree Producer Peta Khan. “Given the opportunity we would love to continue the work and make a series of inclusive animation shorts with these young people.”
Special thanks also to the Maitree team and animation team who supported bringing the work to life: Emily Dash, Sarah Hope, Laura Lewis, Leigh Bramall, April Wong, Kok Loon Tan, Yi Kai Chew, Ricardo Facco, Dino Howl Animation & Dreamatix Studio.
Images by Josh Lee, Illustration by April Wong & Yi Kai Chew
Images by Josh Lee, Illustration by April Wong & Yi Kai Chew
