KYOTO--A business in the city’s Nakagyo Ward has created a supportive environment for people with disabilities, mental illnesses and adjustment disorders to work in the animation industry.

Although these conditions can make it difficult to succeed in traditional work environments, the Shake Hands Sanjo-Karasuma animation studio is a “type-B” workplace--designed to offer continuous employment support for people with disabilities.

It is managed by Otsu-based Fukurou LLC, which offers welfare services in Kyoto and Shiga prefectures.

While it is rare for a welfare facility to be involved in TV anime productions, the animators at Shake Hands Sanjo-Karasuma work on popular properties including “Chiikawa” and “Spy Classroom,” and even receive orders from overseas.

Tomoya Sawada, 33, the head of the Fukurou group and a visiting researcher at Ritsumeikan University, believes that they can use their unique characteristics to their advantage in the right work environment.

“People with disabilities can turn their weaknesses into strengths in anime production where hyperfixation and intense attention to detail can be helpful traits,” he said.

But Sawada is also careful to create a working environment adapted to the employees’ needs.

The anime studio is equipped with counters, isolated booths and an open space, with music playing in the background. Each employee works in place where they feel comfortable, using computers to illustrate and edit.

Employees who hyperfocus for long periods are reminded to take breaks, while those who are easily distracted can have privacy curtains installed around their workspaces.

USING WHAT YOU GOT

Currently, 10 people in their 20s and 30s with mental illnesses and developmental disorders work at the Shake Hands studio.

The employees have seen their monthly income increase and their self-esteem improve while finding their work rewarding.

One 32-year-old employee in charge of producing keyframes has been diagnosed with a developmental disorder and struggles with panic attacks and social anxiety disorder.

He said he had holed up at home with curtains drawn for five years after graduating from college.

He drew illustrations as a hobby.

These days, his fastidious attention to detail comes in handy at work.

“When I see the projects I was involved with outside the studio, I feel happy and fulfilled,” he said.

Other employees shared similar experiences.

For example, animators receive highly specific and detailed instructions about characters movements and other production aspects.

But such instructions are easy to follow for those who find it difficult to understand ambiguous expressions.

“I can be myself at work here,” said Yuki Kawai, 28, who was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, an adjustment disorder and other mental health conditions. “I can empathize with those around me because I have had my own share of suffering.”

FINANCIAL STABILITY

There are currently 16,295 type-B facilities in Japan under the law on comprehensive support for persons with disabilities. They provide employment support for 333,690 people who have difficulty working in regular companies.

However, type-B facilities do not offer employment contracts and minimum wage laws do not apply to them, often resulting in low wages.

Their average monthly wage is about 16,500 yen ($110).

While running a different type-B employment support center, Sawada tried to think of higher-paying industries where disabled workers could excel.

He noticed that many of the workers were talented artists and illustrators--and realized that the anime industry was facing a labor shortage and could provide opportunities to expand overseas.

Shake Hands animation studio pays its workers higher wages than many other type-B workplaces.

One employee who previously earned around 10,000 yen a month enjoyed a 10-fold increase in income.

The studio is currently in charge of creating keyframes for six animated TV shows and has received orders from companies, including one in Malaysia, to create promotional animation.

The studio is now putting great effort into producing original projects.

“I want to produce original anime works, even if they are short, to increase our value as a studio and raise the unit labor costs,” Sawada continued. “And I want to give the benefits back to the workers.”