When Cate Weir asked me to help with the College Search resource for students, it was because she trusted me. College Search is a searchable database of inclusive college programs across the country used by thousands of high school students and families. With that many people relying on it, clarity and understanding matter.
And Cate knew that I don’t just know about students with intellectual disability. I’ve spent time with them, and she trusted that I would keep students at the center of whatever we created.
For months, I tried to write a plain language resource that explained how to use College Search. Clear steps. Clear directions. Clear language.
And it was hard. Harder than it should have been.
Eventually, it became clear why: The challenge wasn’t trying to explain how to use the filters for College Search. It was clearly explaining what the filters meant.
You can’t make a meaningful choice if you don’t understand the concept behind the options. Asking students to select something like “students take typical courses for credit” doesn’t work if they don’t yet know what that phrase actually represents.
I went through three iterations. Three different formats. None of them felt right.
What finally made the content click was letting go of instructions altogether.
Sorry, Cate. We needed to change direction.
The student guide to College Search had to be a video.
Turning It Into a Story
We wrote the video as a story built around a conversation between two students with intellectual disability: a college student and a high school student.
Those roles are played by Ewidji and Lounes.
Through the conversation, the college student (Ewidji) talks about what it was like to search for a college program. What mattered to him. What questions he asked. How he thought through different options. The high school student (Lounes) asks the kinds of questions many students have when they’re just starting to think about college.
Students aren’t being told what to click.
They’re seeing how someone like them reasons through choices.
Students relate to stories. They recognize themselves in other people’s experiences. Stories provide context before decisions.
Filming Day
Filming was genuinely great.
We cast Ewidji and Lounes for those roles because I had worked with them before. I already knew their strengths and comfort levels from training them for public speaking, which made a big difference. There were no surprises.
The day itself took coordination. Giving clear instructions. Working with support people, program coordinators, and family members. Scheduling around jobs and other commitments.
We worked with a professional film crew, Alvaro and Ashleigh, who helped shape the script, guide the filming process, and manage all of the technical details. After filming, they handled the full editing process, shaping hours of footage into a final video that kept the focus on the students’ voices and experiences.
The day was long, but not too long.
Students practiced. We ran rehearsals. The director and crew worked closely with them, filming one line at a time so no one had to memorize everything. If someone needed to pause or restart, that was fine. The pace worked for the students.
The students were eager. Excited. Proud. They felt like they were part of something meaningful. And yes, Ewidji would absolutely like to be a star.
Lounes’ dad drove him to campus and then wandered around while we filmed, because Lounes is an adult. Rachel, Ewidji’s support person and program coordinator, was there the entire time. She jumped in when filming got hard, gave direction when needed, and helped the crew understand how to support both students to get each scene just right.
Students were paid actor wages. And it felt right.
Watching It Come Together
I watched the whole process and was honestly impressed. With the students. With the film crew. With Rachel. Everyone showed up. I’m thankful to all of them.
I’m proud of what we made. Proud of the students. Proud of the team.
And yes, a little proud of myself too.
Because we finally created something that I genuinely believe is useful to students and families. Something that starts where students actually are.
Most importantly, it supports student understanding before asking students to choose.
From Story to Screen
The College Search story video is now available.
Watch how Ewidji and Lounes bring this conversation to life and see how understanding comes before choosing.