This week, I continued to watch some animation works on the shape art platform. Some works felt abstract, while others were made to promote disabled people, but the creators were not disabled people. So I need to sift through them.
Among them, the voice gave me a deep impression. This is a stop-motion animation, which shows the negative-filled environment in the mind of the person in Imposter Syndrome. It invites the audience to think about the social and environmental inclusiveness of disabled artists, and explores the gap between expectation and reality. Arouse the society’s inclusiveness and empathy for artists with disabilities.
The work shows the inner struggles and against of the protagonists in the animation in the form of inner monologues and confrontations.
The inner voice in the dialogue tells him “You don’t listen. we don’t show an emotion, you don’t cry, you are not crazy” seems to give himself some psychological hints, and does not allow himself to show weak emotions to others.
This animation has two clues, the first clue is the world of color, it is the real world. He’s giving a speech, introducing himself.
And the black and white world is the second clue, showing the inner self-doubt and struggle he may have when he spoke, as well as some flashbacks in the past to suppress his emotions.
The one on the left said, “You must listen to me, you must not cry,” and the one on the right said, “But I want to cry.”
The pig police arrested him because he claimed to be an artist. This reflects his lack of confidence in his own creation and a sense of unease. The scrutiny of the outside world has a critical eye for him.
Side: You just have to tell them you’re happy and you’re okay, the animation shows he smiled, his heart beating in his hands:
Although the quality of the works on this platform cannot reach the quality of our common animation works, we can see some things that we want to express. Although the creative approach may not be that serious.
I found some pdf of the annual summary on the platform website:
In the pdf, I found James not only focuses on his personal artistic creation, but also sees art as a way to bring about social change. As a creator with a disability, he creates and speaks out to challenge and reshape society’s perceptions of disabled people.
After learning all this, I felt deeply moved, because I had previously volunteered to help people with disabilities back in China. However, support for people with disabilities often remains at the basic level of ensuring physical survival. At that time, my team and I went to Nanlang Town, Zhongshan City, Guangdong Province, to shoot a promotional video about people with disabilities. It was only through conversations with local community workers and Ms. Lian, the protagonist of the film, that we came to truly understand the hardships they face in daily life.
We received a 1,000 yuan award for the film, and chose to use it to fulfill the “micro-wishes” of people with disabilities in Nan Lang Town. Before collecting data, I had imagined their wishes might be for books, or small, fun items like decorative ornaments or potted plants. But after compiling the survey results, I felt incredibly sad, many of their wishes were for adult diapers, tissues, and incontinence pads. This meant that even the basic hygiene products they rely on daily are often a financial burden. And yet, these are essentials they need to use and change every single day.
When organizations in the UK are already creating platforms for disabled people to engage in artistic expression — and achieving meaningful results (though I understand this also depends on regional differences) — some disabled individuals in small towns in my country still struggle to afford even the most basic daily hygiene necessities. This gap makes me feel deeply upset, because they are truly suffering.
Of course, much of the progress in the UK is built upon accumulated social wealth over time, so making a direct comparison isn’t entirely fair. I simply hope that my country can provide more subsidies for disabled individuals, and work to reduce the inequalities caused by geographic and regional differences.
During our interview, Ms. Lian told us that she had never been to school. We were shocked to hear that, as it was due to her disability that schools refused to accept her. Her condition was the result of an illness in childhood that was not properly treated, which left her with a limp. However, her disability does not affect those around her or other children in any way.
A social worker also shared with us that although there are now schools in Zhongshan City that accept students with disabilities, the number of available spots is limited. Often, families with stronger financial means or better connections are more likely to secure a place. Ms. Lian’s parents were farmers and had limited resources, which made it even more difficult for her to access education.
Ms. Lian’s mother once said during the interview, “If she weren’t disabled, she would have many friends.” That comment was incredibly heartbreaking.
During the filming, some neighbors came to watch and even directly asked if we were shooting something about “the child from that family with a lame leg.” Although these remarks and attitudes from people around her didn’t necessarily come from a place of malice, they could still be hurtful to Ms. Lian.
This is a relatively direct example that shows how the general public — including some social funds and even the government — still fails to ensure that people with disabilities can live, study, and work in a healthy and supportive environment.
Therefore, it becomes especially important to consider whether animation can serve as a positive medium for raising awareness and promoting inclusion. If children’s media can have a positive influence on young audiences, then future social environments may gradually become more inclusive and accepting.