Audiovisual storytelling can be a powerful tool in building community. In this blog, the Audiovisual Storytelling team reflects on the discussions shared with participants at the initial screening of the Neurodivergent at University documentary short. This documentary features stories of the lives of five neurodivergent students who attend the University of Toronto.
Written by the Audiovisual Storytelling Team
In March, we hosted the first viewing of the Neurodivergent at University documentary short with our five participants and their family members, and staff from Accessibility Services. We laughed, we cried, and in the end, every audience member felt the gravity of the stories that were shared. The Neurodivergent at University project is a special one for us because it focuses on the experience of neurodivergent students at U of T, who are often under-represented in the community. Through watching the documentary, we learned how navigating different needs can sometimes be isolating, and how finding people who listen with empathy makes a big difference. While the full documentary hasn’t been released yet, you can watch the trailer below.
Watch the Trailer:
The initial screening was a surreal experience for our team. We were especially touched to see the documentary participants finally meet each other in person and to watch how they connected with each other’s stories. Towards the end of the screening, our team and the participants shared what it was like to collaborate on a documentary project in an informal panel discussion. We enjoyed the opportunity for reflection throughout the discussion and were happy to see how warmly the documentary was received. Our team remains especially grateful for the participants’ courage in opening their world to others so publicly.
Irfan: “Having worked so closely with this documentary and seeing the participants’ stories helped me understand how someone’s university experience can look different from mine; it helped me see how we can work together to improve student experiences at university.”
Scarlett: “Listening to those stories made me realize how easy it is to generalize experiences. In reality, every student has their own way of navigating university, and that diversity is something we need to be more mindful and appreciative of.”
Until this point, the documentary was made up of many moving parts, so watching the final cut as a seamless, singular story was tremendously satisfying. Participants told us how excited they were to share the documentary with their professors. Many of them emphasized how they want more educators to see this documentary and learn from their experiences. Our team is also invested in the impact we feel the documentary will have at U of T:
Brooklin: “Irfan, Scarlett, and I got to know the participants and their lives really well by watching their footage, but only as individuals. So, seeing them all together in one room, talking and connecting, was amazing. Our participants’ lives are connected in different ways because of their experiences, and it was incredibly special to watch a community form in real time.”
U of T is an extremely diverse place with students, educators, and staff coming from different backgrounds and bringing different experiences and abilities. Although it’s important to focus on diversity, it’s equally important for students to feel that their university is accessible and accommodating. A commitment to diversity involves inviting a wide range of needs, expectations and experiences to be considered and to ensure they are reflected in institutional infrastructure. We hope the Neurodivergent at University documentary is one such contribution.
Neurodivergent at University – Premiering in Fall 2026
We couldn’t be more excited to share Neurodivergent at University with the community. We hope that by centering the voices of students, the documentary offers insight into how university environments can better recognize different ways of thinking and learning. We also hope it will inspire conversations about more inclusive practices to support diverse students across academia.
About the Participants
In September 2025, we issued a widespread call for five neurodivergent students currently studying at U of T and received over 50 applications for the project. After getting to know the applicants and hearing their unique stories, we were thrilled to select our five fantastic participants:
- Val Skandalakis (she/her), Sexual Diversity Studies & English
- Omar Fernando Silva‑Serrano (he/him), Philosophy
- Irene Yu (they/them), English, Philosophy & Drama
- Candace “Candy” Hua (she/her), Political Science & History
- Juan Manuel Fernandez Castillo (he/him), Master of Public Policy
Contributors
Brooklin Becker, Audiovisual Storytelling Team Lead, Master of Information (Knowledge Management and Information Management & Critical Information Policy Studies)
Irfan Mohammed, Documentary Assistant, Master of Information (Human-Centred Data Science)
Scarlett Zhao, Documentary Assistant, Master of Public Policy
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