Copyright digitalnewsasia
Infinite Minds trains unique thinkers for real jobs in animation and digital creativity Looking for more distribution partners for Fun With Idioms by Coco and Momo animation series While there’s been significant progress in our understanding of neurodiversity, particularly for those on the autism spectrum, it hasn’t yet translated into a substantial rise in employment opportunities. Although people are becoming more aware of the unique strengths neurodivergent individuals bring, day-to-day interactions in the workplace and other settings can still be tricky. Social expectations and communication styles often make it harder for neurodivergent individuals to fully engage, meaning many still face challenges in finding jobs—and employers—that not only fit their abilities but also celebrate them. Enter Infinite Minds Academy and its founder, Kiren Kaur, who has been addressing these challenges head-on since 2013. The academy empowers individuals with special needs to achieve economic independence through customised digital tech programmes. The quality of Infinite Minds Academy’s programmes and the impact it is having on students has been recognised by the Social Enterprise World Forum in July 2024 which accredited the coursework offered by Infinite Minds in high-demand fields such as animation, app development, multimedia design, and office management - skills essential in today’s increasingly AI-driven digital economy. Some of the academy’s graduates are then offered placements through a carefully managed programme with corporate partner, while others are hired by a separate business, Beamworks Studio Sdn Bhd, the first creative studio in the country powered by neurodivergent talent launched in 2022, which provides creative digital services. While Kiren runs Infinite Minds Academy, her husband Atar Singh, who joined the company in 2020, manages Beamworks. From extracurricular coding classes to a life-changing project A computing lecturer in Taiping, Perak, before moving to teach at one of the leading computing universities in South-East Asia, Asia Pacific University in Kuala Lumpur, Kiren has always been passionate about education, something her hospital attendant father impressed upon his five daughters. Infinite Minds came to be after an interesting assignment combined her love for teaching with Atar’s interest in animation and digital art. But first Kiren launched Young Animators Sdn Bhd in 2008, offering extracurricular coding and animation classes to international schools in the Klang Valley (Taylor’s International, Noble International, Sri KL) before a life-changing opportunity came her way with a special needs class at a government school. “An NGO approached me in 2013 to provide my class for children with special needs at a public school which had a PPKI class (Program Pendidikan Khas Intergrasi, or Special Education Integration Program). Back then, awareness wasn’t what it is today. I was nervous, but committed to giving it a try. We conducted classes every Friday for the special needs students at SMK Bandar Sunway.” The children’s attitude and hunger to learn both surprised and delighted Kiren. “I saw how quickly they were learning, and a year later, the parents appealed to me to continue in the 2014 school year, which I did. But it was when the children’s work won a global competition that Aug against neurotypical children teams from around the world, that I realised we were onto something,” she said. The competition, CyberFair is run by US-based GlobalSchoolNet, which describes itself as the oldest and largest online educational event in the world that began in 1996. SMK Bandar Sunway won a platinum award under the ‘Community Groups and Special Populations’ category. A natural aptitude for digital creativity From her first class of students in 2013, Kiren was struck by how children on the spectrum displayed a natural aptitude for digital creative work. She saw that they understood gadgets and easily adapted to the nature of digital technology. In this world, the typical challenges relating to verbal communication didn’t apply, and Kiren could see that their confidence soared as they found an outlet for expression and creativity. This inspired her to formalise her focus on digital education for young people on the spectrum with her company, Young Animators renamed to Infinite Minds Sdn Bhd in 2018 and taking the big step in 2022 to set up her own centre in Bandar Sunway. Prior to this, modules were offered in the various schools that wished to introduce Infinite Minds to students. Initially, classes were part-time, but based on parents’ feedback, Kiren transitioned to offering full-time lessons. The full range of classes today includes a communication module. “As our students represent a broad spectrum of abilities, we group them accordingly. Those who are very high-functioning receive different training, while students who are non-verbal are taught skills that better suit their abilities.” Kiren is personally involved here, assessing each student to ensure they are placed in classes that suit them. “We frequently monitor them, allowing for changes in class if necessary.” The reason for this? “We want every student to advance at their own pace without feeling overwhelmed.” Kiren acknowledges that rejections do occasionally happen, i.e. when she determines someone is not ready to join her programmes. She remains clear about what the academy can and cannot handle. “We do tell them and their parents to come back in a few years so we can reassess them. We advise the parents to try improving their children’s other skills eg, motor-skills and get help from therapists like occupational therapists.” Students who go through the programmes, conducted in small classes that facilitate support and confidence will be able to graduate and pursue careers that challenge them, with employers who are open to accepting neurodivergent staff. “We call them talents, and yes — employers are much more open to hiring neurodivergent people today,” Kiren says proudly. “The ESG movement has benefitted our students greatly as well because listed companies, especially the largest ones, are taking greater effort to hire talent from non-traditional pools.” And if these large corporations do it, others will eventually follow, Kiren believes. This culminates with her students having greater options, and a renewed purpose in life— “and that’s what we want to give them,” she says. MDEC enters the picture and the birth of Fun With Idioms by Coco and Momo It was inevitable that Infinite Minds work would eventually get on the radar of Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) and so it was, in early 2023. “We are so thankful to MDEC and especially Michelle Sta Maria, Head of Animation,” Kiren shares. “They were impressed enough with what we were doing that we not only applied for, and received an animation grant for RM250,000 in Oct 2023 but they also gave us strong encouragement to create more animation-related content.” The MDEC grant saw the development of a 25-episode series that utilises animation to teach English. Fun With Idioms by Coco and Momo is now completed and besides being on Youtube, is carried on MyTV and Durioo+ with a deal in the works for a Singapore streaming platform to carry it too. But for Kiren, it is a special project because the animation series was developed by a group of 12 talented and passionate neurodiverse youths. “I mean, not just the characters in the show are neurodiverse, the creators themselves are neurodiverse.” The focus of the show, teaching English idioms through animation storytelling, gives hope to parents of neurodiverse kids i.e., proving that supporting their children to acquire digital skills can lead to real opportunities down the road. “It promotes digital inclusion and representation in a fresh, authentic way, I believe,” she said. Hungry for more business, hoping NGO status will encourage corporates While there are exciting times ahead from a commercial standpoint, challenges for Infinite Minds which had RM1.4 million revenue in its 2024 financial year ending June. “One of the main challenges we face is that many corporates are hesitant to support our students' work because we are registered as an enterprise (even though as a social enterprise, many corporates still see it as an enterprise, and with that, the association as an entity that prioritises profits.). Unfortunately, we’ve missed out on several CSR-related opportunities in the past, as some corporates only extend such support to NGOs,” says Kiren. In response, Kiren and Atar changed the corporate identity of Beamworks from a Sdn Bhd to an NGO in May-2025 hoping this will encourage more corporates to collaborate with it. Revenue comes from training fees and, sporadically, from corporate videos and design work done under Beamworks. “We want to scale — calendars and other items are selling well, but we want to expand this aspect of the business under Beamworks,” Kiren explains. “We need more clients and more opportunities for the team to create sophisticated products.” However, those plans require funds. “MyTV Broadcasting has absorbed a good amount of our animation work, but we need to monetise this segment further to make it more sustainable. Critically, the work should be judged for its creativity and merit—we don’t want it to be bought just because it was made by young people on the spectrum,” stressed Kiran. A tour of Infinite Minds office after the interview reveals that Kiren and Atar have created a welcoming space for all their students, no matter where they are on the spectrum. “The help we need now is awareness,” Kiren says, waving at a group of students. “We want more engagement with companies that can support our students on their journey. After all, it’s what we want for all our children.” Privately, Atar shares that Kiren’s father was known for his generous nature and his readiness to help anyone in need—perhaps the inspiration behind Kiren’s mission today. The tour ends at Beamworks, where a team of animators and designers is hard at work on various commercial projects. A large space next to their studio remains empty; on Friday afternoons, the students gather here to watch a movie or play games. It is in this space that Kiren shows me Infinite Minds’ latest creation: VR glasses with an app that helps guide people on the spectrum through social situations—something many of us take for granted. "This gives in an immersive manner where they learn to maintain eye contact with strangers when they talk (a habit lacking among most autistic people)," said Autar. "We have scenarios of how to interact with policemen, how to do shopping, how to react in emergencies etc. All these in an immersive and gamified way." It is clear that Infinite Minds Academy is not just a space for learning; it’s a sanctuary of possibility, where neurodivergent individuals are given the tools to carve out a future of independence and creativity. With Kiren and Atar at the helm, this remarkable initiative is breaking new ground, showing that with the right support, everyone has the potential to shine in the digital age.
