Plot

College roommates navigate a year of challenges, raw emotions and unique successes inherent in a mentorship program that pairs students with and without intellectual disabilities in a campus environment.

In the field of education, "inclusive" involves real, equitable and individualized opportunities for students with and without disabilities. The InclusiveU program at Syracuse University creates such educational and social opportunities in a higher education setting. Inclusive peer mentorship comes with a unique set of challenges, successes and emotions. The film follows the evolving relationship of Kylie (a junior studying Education) and her roommate Olivia (a non-matriculated freshman studying Studio Arts). Throughout the academic year, their vlogs expose the realities of inclusive mentorship from a student perspective. Interviews with eleven of their peers, fulfilling roles as both inclusive mentees and mentors, adds multiple perspectives. As a participatory and reflexive documentary, And They Were Roommates provides insight and counsel to the questions, thoughts, strategies and triumphs that are uncovered when students with and without intellectual and developmental disabilities work to foster mutually beneficial and sustainable mentor/mentee relationships.—Kylie Walter