Roots of Inclusion Messaging Toolkit
Building a values-driven messaging system that translates lived experience into systems change
Context
Roots of Inclusion (ROI) lacked a comprehensive, proactive, and flexible messaging structure that fully captured its unique role in advancing disability justice across education systems and communities.
The goal was not just consistency, but alignment—ensuring that every message reinforced ROI’s values, voice, and systems-level impact.
Strategy
- Build a values-forward messaging framework grounded in disability justice and systems thinking.
- Connect lived experience to systems change through narrative.
- Center action-driven language to bring clarity to ROI's role and impact.
- Integrate accessibility and plain language as core communication practices.
- Structure messaging to adapt across distinct audiences and contexts.
Tactics
- Develop a five-pillar messaging framework to define ROI's voice, positioning, and impact.
- Create audience-specific messaging guidance tailored to key stakeholder groups.
- Illustrate message translation examples demonstrating cross-audience adaptation.
- Craft culturally sustaining and accessible content guidelines.
- Develop a social media toolkit translating messaging into platform-specific visual and narrative content.
outcome
The work established a cohesive messaging system that aligns narrative, values, and strategy across ROI’s communications, enabling consistent, audience-aware content across platforms.
Applied in ROI’s end-of-summer social campaign, the guidance increased engagement by 2–3x and strengthened ROI’s ability to connect lived experience to systems change through clear, actionable storytelling.
Client
Alaska Department of Education & Early Development
My Roles
Directing, videography, storyboarding, editing, graphics, and post-production
Context
For years, Alaska ranked near or at the bottom among all states on national reading assessments, leading the Alaska State Board of Education to adopt Alaska’s Education Challenge in 2017, prioritizing early literacy to close opportunity gaps and improve student outcomes.
The Alaska Department of Education & Early Development launched a series of initiatives to equip educators with evidence-based literacy tools, including the Alaska Reads Act, annual Science of Reading Symposia, virtual and in-person professional development, and printed resources backed by the Science of Reading.
Though the 2024 symposium marked only the end of the first year of implementation, educators were already talking about their students' significant gains in reading.
Deliverables
I created a documentary-style video that captures the momentum of the Reads Act's first three years; informs parents, school boards, and community members of state literacy initiatives and developments; and compels state lawmakers to continue supporting these efforts.
I served as director/videographer for all interviews and b-roll, created the storyboard, edited and implemented post-production, and wrote and designed all graphics for this video. The video will be shown at future reading symposia, on the state senate floor, and at school board and PTA gatherings around the state.
