SEE ME

An Animated Narrative, A Testament to the Socio-Environmental Communication Challenges of Individuals with Autism

Sam Arroyo

“I want you to know that I am okay. I am smart and capable, just like you.

I am not just my "condition" and I am right in front of you.

Do you see me?”

The research production is based on a case study of a local maturing adolescent girl named Angel, who has high-functioning autism. High-functioning autism is a diagnosis of an individual having mild or very subtle behaviors of autism.

Despite Angel being academically prepared, talented and capable of self-sufficiency, language, and learning in almost the same way non-autistic individuals are, her story tells of the discriminative encounters that surface from negative stigmas and insensitivity, and the distresses she experiences as a result.

The purpose of this project is to bring to light the factoring causes that make communication and understandings difficult between a person with autism and a person without autism in a regular social environment, and to improve the audience’s social and emotional sensitivity towards individuals with autism. This includes environments such as family, friends, work, and school environments.

“The artist must cast off the last rags of romanticism and become active as a man among men...”

- Bruno Munari, Design as Art (1996)

Behind the curtains of this production is animator Sabrina Michelle M. Arroyo, a writer, illustrator and character concept artist who often spends her time experimenting on various mediums of storytelling. She is on an adventure to hone both traditional and mixed animation techniques, desiring nothing more than to see characters come alive.

The project is a personal collaboration with the study’s sole participant, in hopes of healing a scarred bond and bringing a long life of distrust to a close.

Charge forward with strength, Angel, to your new beginning.