Community Voices: Voices - Listeners in the Noise

Open to Jefferson students, staff and faculty from all colleges and programs.

Every person has a story. In this candid conversation series, we’ll talk with community members about their real experiences at the intersection of healthcare, wellbeing and identity. Each guest brings unique insights and expertise into problems of health that span social and clinical dimensions, and engage questions of access, equity and justice. Sessions will be led by an interprofessional team of Jefferson student moderators and include interactive Q&A with attendees.

Special guest: Voices: Listeners in the Noise

Voices: Listeners in the Noise is a film documentary that shares first-hand narratives that reveal how urban soundscapes affect autistic individuals, raising awareness and inspiring more inclusive cities.

The film amplifies firsthand narratives from autistic individuals navigating urban soundscapes, while highlighting the often-overlooked sensory challenges of everyday life. By sharing these stories, Voices offers insight into how cities affect well-being and proposes a visionary framework for designing more accessible, autism-friendly urban spaces. Its first public screening was in Base Milan in October.

Visit for more information and to view the trailer.

A panel with the film participants will follow the screening.

Panelists:

Evander "Ev" Smith (They/He) has a strong desire to make the world more accepting & accessible for disabled people at all stages of life, and a commitment to helping others. They are an Autistic and Disabled self-advocate and speaker specializing in Autistic culture, LGBTQIA+ Autistic identities, and disability inclusion & celebration. They currently serve on the board of directors of the Neurodiversity Employment Network, and previously served on their advisory board for 2 years.

nae vallejo (they/he) is a Black, Caddo, Mexican, queer, trans, disabled, AuDHD access designer and experiential archivist. Their work moves through memory, rememory, and care, exploring how survivors leave trace across body, land and story. As the founding steward of naeborhood projects, nae creates art that weaves disability justice, sensory attunement and community connection into everyday practices of survival and tenderness.

The documentary is part of the project Echoes by Severino Alfonso and Loukia Tsafoulia, commissioned by the EU S+T+ARTS Residency "ReSilence," funded by the European Union's Horizon Europe research and innovation program. It is first presented at BASEMilan as part of the "ReSilence: Future Soundscapes & Affect Mining in Urban Ecosystems" exhibition.
“Voices: Listeners in the Noise” is supported with funds from the Institute for Smart and Healthy Cities, Thomas Jefferson University(2024 JeffSmart Seed fellowship).

This event may be counted toward the Asano Humanities & Health Certificate program for Jefferson students. Learn more at Jefferson.edu/Asano.

Community Voices is presented by the Jefferson College of Population Health, the Jefferson Center for Interprofessional Practice & Education, and Jefferson Humanities & Health.

Questions? Please contact Kirsten Bowen, Humanities Program Coordinator, Office of Student Affairs, at [email protected].

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