AND THEY WERE ROOMMATES:
navigating inclusive mentorship in higher education
"We like working together and wanted to share that. It is about Kylie and I being roommates. It’s about friends, roommates, and mentors, some with disabilities and some without disabilities. It’s about how to help each other on a college campus."
-- Olivia Baist
"It’s not about Olivia. It's not about me. It's not just about disability, InclusiveU, or Syracuse. This project is about the relationship between college students in an inclusive higher education setting, learning how to support one another in a mutually beneficial and sustainable way.
With no prior filmmaking education or experience, Olivia and I embraced vulnerability and a commitment to sharing our lives in order to support students down the road. With the words of peers, this is not just our film. This is the film of thirteen students, all dedicated to collaborative mentorships, friendships, and advocating for real higher education opportunities."
-- Kylie Walter
"We already have the privilege of being college students on an inclusive campus. We want to go beyond 'inclusion works' or 'we need inclusion', to say 'this is the honest reality of how our inclusion works' and 'this is how we can make what already exists work better for everyone'"
-- Kylie Walter
Note: this website and project uses person-first language to respect the preferences and identities of those in the film at the time of filmmaking.