VOICES: Listeners in the Noise: My Experience

Author Ev Smith with three other people on a panel discussing the film.

“Voices: Listeners in the Noise” is a short film style documentary following a handful of Autistic individuals through their daily movements and sound experiences. The general theme of the project was to center Autistic voices and give us space to discuss our sensory experiences around a city, mainly Philadelphia, with an emphasis on sound. It was created as a way to inform the general public of sound needs, and to open the opportunity to really think about if Autistic people are sent into a sensory crisis due to what is considered "regular city noise levels," are those noise levels actually healthy for anyone to experience?

Each individual that you hear from in the short film, myself included, was interviewed for one to two hours on a variety of questions around our experience on the autism spectrum, how our autism and sensory needs affect how we interact with the world around us (specifically noise in a city environment), and how we express ourselves via art. I have also been taking part in several live panel Q&As with other interviewees following screenings of the entire film, which has been really fun! I greatly enjoy working alongside other Autistic people and sharing our experiences with each other and the world.

When I was asked to join this project, I was very excited. I think it is extremely important to listen to the voices and experiences of people from the group being discussed, and I look for any opportunity to amplify disabled voices. I think that interviewing various Autistic people and other people with sensory processing differences can be an extremely useful resource for creating sensory-welcoming spaces for ALL people.

The opportunities to speak on panels alongside other participants in the film has felt very powerful to me. We receive important, deep, and well-thought-out questions from the audience every time, and seeing them leave our discussions with new ideas fills me with hope for a more sensory-health-informed society.

What I hope the public takes away from viewing this film is that Autistic voices belong at the forefront of discussions regarding autism, regardless of how a person communicates. I truly hope this film helps convince the public that we are intelligent and capable human beings with complex thoughts, feelings, and emotions like everyone else. Our outward expressions may look different, our communication may sound different, but our ideas and opinions are valuable. That value is not only for us, but for society as a whole. By making the world more accessible to Autistic people, we are making the world more accessible to far more people than just those with a specific diagnosis or trait.

If I could give my younger self a piece of advice, it would be to believe in the power of your own voice and experiences. You are the expert in yourself, you were just missing the terminology to fully explain your experiences. Give yourself the language you need, connect with others who understand, advocate for your (and your community's) needs, help others, better your community, repeat.

The trailer and more information about the film can be found here.

Evander “Ev” Smith (they/them)

Procurement Coordinator