
Client Profile: Screen Skills Ireland, Animation Skillnet and Animation Ireland
This week we are profiling a collaboration who we particularly enjoyed working with - Screen Skills Ireland, Animation Skillnet and Animation Ireland.
Screen Skills Ireland is the skills development unit within Screen Ireland, the national development agency for the creative screen industry. With responsibility for investing in people and skills development across film, television and animation, Screen Skills Ireland plays a vital role in the design, development and delivery of industry-focused skills development initiatives. These initiatives encompass film, TV, animation, games and VFX, for all roles from new entrants to company leaders.
Animation Skillnet is a member of the Skillnet Ireland Network which provides training solutions to the animation, games and VFX sectors. Working with many well-known organisations, they are considered a hugely valuable asset in furthering the development of the animation sector in Ireland.
Animation Ireland is the trade association for the leading Irish animation studios working together to promote the world class Irish animation sector internationally.
Both Screen Skills Ireland and Animation Skillnet Network worked with Animation Ireland and Ability Focus to deliver Live Online (Remote) Disability Awareness Training to participants from member organisations within the Animation Skillnet Network over a two-week period.
Training was delivered in four x 1-hour sessions during the evening time, each participant having completed a full day's work prior to logging in. Attendance in itself demonstrating the level of commitment to learn about disability awareness from those who participated. Throughout all four sessions participants engaged fully and showed an inherent awareness of the importance of perception of disability when animating or working on screen.
But screen perception and portrayal of people with disabilities were not the sole focus of participants who attended this training programme. Participants working primarily in HR and management were especially interested in best practice disability inclusion relating to job advertising, on and off site supports and communication with employees/job seekers with a disability.
Conversations at the end of each session were engaging, where traditional narratives were challenged and suggestions about best practice disability inclusion in animation were made.
By offering Disability Awareness Training to their member network, Screen Skills Ireland and Animation Skillnet have taken a proactive and inclusive step in embedding awareness of disability in organisational practice for their member network.
Sorcha Scully, Skills Executive with Screen Skills Ireland who co-ordinated training with Ability Focus had the following to say about their reasons for delivering disability awareness training to members:
"One of Screen Skills Ireland's core values is to drive positive change within the sector through support for inclusivity, diversity, transparency and fairness in work. In support of this aim we were delighted to work with Ability Focus, Animation Skillnet and Animation Ireland to deliver Disability Awareness Training for the Animation sector.
With team members from several of Ireland's most successful animation studios in attendance we believe this training was a successful first step in the direction of positive change."
At Ability Focus, we believe training of this type will have a positive impact on those who participated, leading to a more accurate portrayal and effective representation of people with disabilities in Irish animation. We are glad to have played a part in creating awareness of Ireland's most diverse group for the Irish animation sector.
If you are considering Live Online (Remote) Disability Awareness Training for your organisation contact Ability Focus on (01) 699 1150 or email info@abilityfocus.ie