Where I sit: an autoethnography of being/becoming a neurodiverse student

Abstract

This SSHRC-funded autoethnographic portfolio explores the lived experiences of a neurodiverse university student through transformative multimedia story-making. Drawing from the researcher's personal journey with anxiety, ADHD, autism, and memory disability, the portfolio challenges dominant deficit-oriented discourses that frame neurodiversity in academia as inherently problematic. By employing an interpretive disability studies (IDS) framework and Re•Storying methodologies, the research articulates how inclusive pedagogical and socio-cultural environments can affirm the agency and belonging of neurodiverse students. The written narrative and multimedia short film (Where I Sit: A Narrative of Being and Becoming) critically examine how ableism and (in)visibility intersect with academic identity, while also highlighting the role of ensemble, space, and relational trust in shaping a positive university experience for neurodiverse students. This portfolio contributes to the growing field of (invisible) disability and neurodiversity scholarship by providing rich data from an insider perspective that affirms neurodiversity as an important aspect of identity with transformative potential within academic communities rather than an unfortunate burden to be carried and overcome.