Team Reflection: What Working on the Neurodivergent at University Documentary Short Meant to Us 

There are many ways to tell student stories. Increasingly, the Innovation Hub is exploring documentary as a storytelling vehicle. In this blog, the Audiovisual Storytelling team reflects on their experience working with Accessibility Services and videographer Cal Campos to create 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 

---

Understanding Neurodivergent Student Experiences 

When our team first started working on this project, each of us had a different idea about what being neurodivergent meant and what it might be like to be a neurodivergent student at U of T. Some of us have neurodivergent friends or colleagues who’ve candidly shared some aspects of their experiences with us. During this project, we realized that neurodivergent students’ experiences aren’t singular, and we noticed that invisible disabilities are not always well understood within the university. We wanted this documentary to be a vehicle for neurodivergent students to tell their stories on their own terms. 

The Neurodivergent at University documentary short emerged because of what we’ve learned through our past collaborations with Accessibility Services. For this project, we sought to find five neurodivergent students willing to share their experience at U of T through first-person video diaries, clips from their daily lives, and on-camera interviews. Watching their footage, we learned that the documentary participants’ stories were quite different from one another. However, the one thing they all shared with us was that they were incredibly grateful for the opportunity to share their experience and relieved that it would be heard.  

Each person’s experience is unique, and we wanted to give our participants the opportunity to share how they navigate their lives, academic environments, and outside responsibilities. Although it’s easy to make assumptions based on what we’ve heard from others, we quickly realized that we could only challenge our assumptions by engaging with real stories.  

Making Space for Vulnerability  

Throughout the project, we wanted to make sure that our participants felt comfortable being vulnerable and authentic on-screen. In making that one of our guiding principles, we realized that what we were asking people to do was completely open their lives to us. We knew how challenging that would be. We took time and care to set up the conditions for people to be honest and communicated with them regularly throughout the process.  

Behind the scenes, we encouraged participants to film where they felt most comfortable, and not to shy away sharing difficult stories. One clip that really resonated with us was a video where Fernando, an undergraduate Philosophy student, was filming himself sitting under a table. We didn’t know if we could use the footage because of the angle, but during the clip he shared a story that we couldn’t leave out. Fernando shared that during a class, one of his classmates was feeling overstimulated and had moved to sit under a table. His TA and the other students in the class showed their support by also sitting under the table, Fernando included. Hearing this story made us realize that when people tell their stories in the way that makes the most sense to them, we can see things from their perspective. Our team reflected on what authentic storytelling meant for us: 

Irfan: “Approaching storytelling with authenticity can be hard and vulnerable for both the participants and the team members behind the scenes. I felt a lot of pressure to represent their stories authentically, which is why we worked so hard on the filming guidelines. But when I watched the footage, I realized that creating opportunities for people be honest is what builds trust with the audience more than a polished story.” 

Scarlett: “Authentic storytelling means stepping back and letting participants guide the narrative. Our role isn’t to shape their experiences into a perfect story, but to listen and make sure their voices stay at the centre.” 

Our experiences showed us that when people have the autonomy to share their stories in ways that make sense to them, we get to see an honest representation of who they are.  

Empathy Matters  

Interestingly, many of the participants shared how navigating university is shaped not only by their own self-understanding, but also by the empathy they receive from others. What became even more evident, however, was how powerful it is when empathy comes without judgement.  

Irene, another undergraduate participant, shared how at first doctors didn’t take their concerns seriously because their experience didn’t directly affect their grades. It wasn’t until much later when things got difficult in university, that Irene was able to receive a diagnosis. Irene’s story helped us see how awareness and understanding of neurodivergence is still evolving, even in the medical profession.  

A graduate student participant Juan shared about how support he received through Accessibility Services both for academics and even for his future career helped him feel seen. Juan’s story showed us that finding the right support from professionals who listen with empathy and provide relevant resources has a big impact. We learned that meaningful interactions with people who can offer support and appropriate resources have a profound positive effect on students’ experiences. Our team spent time reflecting on the importance of empathy: 

Irfan: “Listening to Juan’s story led me to contemplate how I could approach every connection with an empathy that considers more than just what I am seeing on the surface.” 

Scarlett: “When we approach storytelling with empathy, we try to leave our assumptions at the door. It’s about listening with curiosity and respect and letting participants share their experiences in their own way.” 

Ultimately, these experiences reminded us that empathy isn’t passive. It’s an active choice that has the power to shape a more inclusive and understanding environment both within and beyond university.  

---

Contributors