91社区

Animation camp helps students with disabilities discover passions, career opportunities

by Russell Nay

Brandon Brooks began teaching himself how to animate at the age of three. As a child, he was diagnosed with autism, and his mother, Wendy, said she wasn鈥檛 sure what Brooks could do with his future after high school. She thought his passion for animation was just a lingering hobby from childhood.

鈥淎t that stage in my life with Brandon, I was trying to squash his animation, thinking he was too big for it,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 would say, 鈥極k buddy, but this is not what kids your age do.鈥欌��

Still, she was intrigued when she first heard about Animation Gets Real from her local Center for Autism and Related Disabilities representative. After enrolling Brooks in the camp and visiting it with him, she realized that he could turn his lifelong interest in animation into a future career.

Five years later, Brooks has participated in the annual summer camp each year since the program鈥檚 first session in 2013.

鈥淭he very thing I was trying to squash was the very thing I should鈥檝e been encouraging,鈥� she said. 鈥�(This camp) completely changed our lives and our paths, and it totally opened up a (path) for him that I didn鈥檛 see ... He鈥檚 always been telling me he wants to be an animator. Now he can actually be an animator.鈥�

The Animation Gets Real summer camp celebrated its fifth anniversary this month, welcoming students between 13 and 22 years old with autism and related disabilities to camps in both Tampa and Miami to learn the basics of creating animated videos, music and sound effects.

A nonprofit organization housed in the USF College of Education, VSA 91社区 conducts arts education programs for individuals with disabilities from across the state of 91社区. The goal of the organization鈥檚 work is to provide, support and champion arts education and cultural experiences for and by people with disabilities, and to create a world in which the arts are universally accessible.

Campers arrive at USF in the morning and split into two groups. In one classroom, campers work with Dani Bowman, a professional animator who was diagnosed with autism at age three and now runs her own animation studio, DaniMation Entertainment. In Bowman鈥檚 class, campers learn the basics of creating their own digital animations and follow along with lessons and workshops before developing their own animations, frame by frame.
 
鈥淢y favorite part (of the camp) 鈥� is to see the variety of animations that the students can come up with,鈥� Bowman said. 鈥淪ome of their animations can be simple, while others can be so artistically impressive.鈥�

Bowman, who started making art and animations at an early age, began teaching animation to students with autism and related disabilities at 15 years old. She now teaches at several summer camps each year across the country, including Joey Travolta鈥檚 Inclusion Films summer camp, and serves as a role model for many of the students at the camp like Brooks who aspire to one day follow in her footsteps.

鈥淚 want to show young kids, teens and adults on the autism spectrum that anything is possible when it comes to learning animation,鈥� she said.

In another classroom, USF School of Music professor and camp instructor Clint Randles, Ph.D., teaches campers about composing their own musical tracks through iPad music. Randles has been the camp鈥檚 music instructor since its first year and also serves on the VSA 91社区 Board of Directors. In Randles鈥� class, students are equipped with iPads, music software and a microphone. They work together to make original songs, voice-overs for movie trailers and their own sound effects for videos and animations.

鈥淵ou give (campers) a fast lane to really meaningful music making that they can have with them for their entire lives,鈥� Randles said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 made a difference in families鈥� lives. It鈥檚 made their outlook for their future for their kids so much greater.鈥�

Randles said that one of his favorite parts of the camp is watching campers present their work to their families on the camp鈥檚 final day. Some are initially unenthusiastic about participating in the camp at all, and he said seeing these campers excited about their music or voice work by the camp鈥檚 conclusion makes it a rewarding experience for him.

鈥淭hey may have one speaking part, but I鈥檓 watching them, and as the speaking part鈥檚 coming up, they鈥檙e nudging their mom or their dad and saying, 鈥楾hat鈥檚 me! Listen, that鈥檚 me!鈥欌�� he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 joy. You give joy to people, and when you do that, it鈥檚 really rewarding. So through the years, I鈥檝e been able to see lots of people have joy that they didn鈥檛 have before.鈥�

Through Animation Gets Real, VSA 91社区 and the camp鈥檚 volunteers work to help campers walk away with the creative skills and knowledge that they can use to pursue a future career in the arts.

Now, as a 19-year-old aspiring animator, Brooks creates complete animation shorts from scratch, including voice acting and sound effects. He鈥檚 done graphic design work for a local autism awareness organization鈥檚 annual charity walk and has worked on various animation projects for others in his community.

Brooks continues to participate in VSA 91社区鈥檚 Animation Gets Real summer camp and shares his passion for creating art and animations with like-minded campers.

鈥淚鈥檓 older than the other kids (at camp), so I鈥檓 hoping to become one of the (Animation Gets Real) staff,鈥� he said.

Wendy Finklea, director of programs for VSA 91社区, said Animation Gets Real creates an environment designed specifically for students with autism spectrum disabilities and their individual learning and social needs. When it comes to planning curriculum and giving participants creative skills and knowledge they can use after the camp, the population VSA 91社区鈥檚 camp serves doesn鈥檛 have many other options available to them in 91社区.

鈥淭here are organizations that provide day programs for students with disabilities, but they鈥檙e not specific to students on the spectrum,鈥� Finklea said.  鈥淎 lot of (other programs鈥�) staff are not prepared to understand the little nuances (in students鈥� learning styles) or understand the sensory issues and overstimulation that can happen so easily.鈥�

Finklea said that VSA 91社区 often gets calls asking if Animation Gets Real could be brought into other communities across 91社区. She said it currently plans to move the camp throughout 91社区 in future years to offer the program in even more communities.

鈥淭here鈥檚 a huge need for quality programming for students with disabilities, and we have only scratched the surface,鈥� she said.
 
VSA 91社区鈥檚 Animation Gets Real program is funded, in part, by the 91社区 Department of Education- Bureau of Exceptional Education and Student Services, the Autism Services Grants Council, the Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs and the Cultural Affairs Council, the Miami-Dade Public Library System, the Miami-Dade County Mayor and the Board of County Commissioners, and The Children鈥檚 Trust.

Learn more about VSA 91社区鈥檚 other statewide camps and programs at the organization's .