Temple Grandin – a tireless speaker, prolific author, and distinguished professor of animal science at Colorado State University – is often circled by students on the Fort Collins campus

She is flagged down by fans at the airport. And she is surrounded by admirers at agriculture conferences and gatherings for families of children with autism.

She is a pioneer in food-animal welfare who has achieved global distinction with insights attained from her own autism. Chief among them is her ability – gained through visual thinking – to understand livestock behavior and to design effective and humane handling systems used by suppliers of some of the world’s largest food purveyors.

“Who would have ever predicted that an autistic woman would come along and transform how we handle our animals? I think that’s why she is such a great hope for families in the autism community,” says Janet Riley, one of Grandin’s friends and colleagues. “She’s a rock star.”

 

 “Determined to give food animals a decent life and painless death, Grandin persevered through sexism, skepticism and even ridicule to demonstrate the value of her designs”

 

Now, audiences worldwide can learn about Grandin’s extraordinary life and influence through the documentary film “An Open Door.” It will be available on the streaming platforms Amazon Prime, Apple TV+ and Kanopy beginning Aug. 12. The film is presented by CSU’s College of Agricultural Sciences, was written and directed by award-winning filmmaker John Barnhardt and is distributed by Good Deed Entertainment. It has been accepted into 72 festivals, has earned 27 individual awards, and has been featured in 26 states and nine countries.

At the age of 77, Temple Grandin lives life full of purpose and meaning that continues to inspire millions around the globe,” said Barnhardt, a CSU alumnus and film producer based in Fort Collins.

“The film shows us how Temple has worked so that autism would not define her,” he continued. “It also reinforces the importance of being a kind person. Be kind to the person next to you because it just might be the next Temple Grandin. Be kind, have perseverance, and don’t let people define you. That’s the takeaway from the film.”

Grandin was also inspiration for an HBO feature film, “Temple Grandin,” released in 2010. Among dozens of accolades, she has been named one of TIME magazine’s 100 most influential people in the world, was recently honored by USA TODAY among its 2025 Women of the Year and received CSU’s 2023 Founders Day Medal for her profound impact.

Ten CSU students contributed to all aspects of the new documentary – part of the film Grandin says she finds especially gratifying.

n her books, appearances, and in the film, Grandin describes the importance of teaching kids with autism useful skills that align with their interests – and giving them a chance to work and contribute, so their lives are not defined by a diagnosis.

“I want to see these kids get out there and be successful. Let’s show what autistic people can do,” she says. “People thought I was weird when I started, but when they saw my work, they said, ‘Oh, you did that?’”

In “An Open Door,” she describes the opportunities she found when key people saw the value of her work and gave her a chance.

“I recognized doors to opportunity. Doors have always been very symbolic for me because I have to have visual images,” she says. “One thing I figured out very early on is certain people can open doors.”

Equine center

The concept is on display at the Temple Grandin Equine Center, with branches at CSU in Fort Collins and at the CSU Spur campus in Denver. The center honors Grandin and is notable for its three-part focus: It hosts equine therapy sessions for children and adults with disabilities and other challenges, including many with autism. It is an unparalleled site for university research examining benefits and best practices in equine-assisted services. And it is home to experiential coursework for CSU students studying equine sciences, occupational therapy and other disciplines.

“Horses saved me,” Grandin often says, referring to experiences in the horse barn at the private high school she attended. Her interest in horses led to her broader interest in livestock – and eventually to her career in the cattle industry and teaching, the documentary shows. “When I was in high school, one of the few places I was not bullied and teased was horseback riding and working in the barn,” she says in the film.

“An Open Door” traces Grandin’s life from her upbringing near Boston, through school, into the cattle industry, on to higher education and to her standing as a hero in the autism community. In 1990, Grandin joined CSU, where she has conducted ground-breaking research and taught classes in livestock behavior and humane handling; she has likewise mentored dozens of graduate students who have gone on to careers in animal welfare.

It has not been an easy journey, the film shows. Determined to give food animals a decent life and painless death, Grandin persevered through sexism, skepticism and even ridicule to demonstrate the value of her designs.

‘We loved her passion’

Over time, Grandin’s concepts, handling systems and associated auditing tools have been adopted as gold standards around the globe, in many cases by beef producers and meatpackers that supply the world’s largest grocers and fast-food chains. If you’ve eaten a hamburger, you’ve likely been an end user of Grandin’s work.

“From the very beginning, we loved her passion, her expertise, and she came in with science and objectivity,” Bob Langert, retired vice president of sustainability for McDonald’s Corp., says in the film. “We trusted 100 percent that she would have the best interests of the animals, the suppliers and even the McDonald’s business.”

Her story is widely embraced as proof positive that innovation springs from different kinds of thinking and diverse personal experiences – a point Grandin stresses in countless invited talks.

“In this documentary, Temple shows us that it’s not only important but necessary that we have different minds solving our global problems,” said John Festervand, executive producer of “An Open Door” and director of development in CSU’s College of Agricultural Sciences.

Grandin hopes the film encourages people in both the animal welfare and autism communities.

“When I was younger, I used to look for great, mysterious meanings of life,” she says in the film. “Now that I’ve gotten older, I’ve realized the most important things are the things I do – that I help do something real to make something better. I want to open doors for other people now.”

Watch the teaser