Woodland student in Tourette’s documentary

Last November, Bradley Wilinski spoke to a crowd of more than 300 attendees about the challenges he faces as someone with Tourette’s syndrome.

The following month, the Woodland Intermediate School student, now a fifth-grader, was asked to be part of a documentary about the neurobiological disorder.

Nearly one year later, “Different is the New Normal” will air the story of Bradley’s mentor, Ariel Small, a senior at Highland Park High School.

The film focuses on the stigma of Tourette’s syndrome as it loosely follows Ariel’s overcoming of obstacles while busting the misconceptions surrounding Tourette’s. It will air in the Midwest at 6 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 6, on WTTW and on PBS nationally in May 2012.

“Bradley is very excited about his role in the movie,” said his mother, Jan Wilinski. “It has been an exciting year and we are very proud of him.”

Small said he has made it his mission to educate the world about Tourette’s syndrome and pave a path for all of the kids who struggle with it on a daily basis.

“My hope is that ‘Different is the New Normal’ will change the way people think and feel about those they perceive as different and encourage them to look past those differences and see how alike we really are,” Small said.

“Different is the New Normal” is a presentation of Hourglass Films and a production of Small Boys Productions and Creative News Group, in association with WNET New York Public Media.

“We hope that this documentary changes people’s perceptions of Tourette’s syndrome and will inspire children who are struggling with it,” said Robin Small, Ariel’s mother. “It is extremely important to separate the person from the disorder.”

To learn more about “Different is the New Normal,” visit differentisthenewnormal.com/.