How PACER Center Reaches 10,000 Parents of Children with Disabilities Across 8 Languages

Industry Context

For families of children with disabilities, navigating special education is complex, terminology-heavy, and even harder when English is not your first language. Workshops and long-form written materials only go so far — and translating content into languages like Somali or Spanish requires additional time, resources, and expertise.

The Challenge

PACER Center parent advocates create resources that help families understand their rights, navigate the Individualized Education Program (IEP) process, and feel confident advocating for their child. Before Synthesia, there were significant barriers:

• No scalable video format: Training was primarily done in livestream, 60-minute workshops. Recording live talent for additional content meant coordinating around advocates’ already stretched schedules — with no time for rehearsals or reshoots.
• Language reach was limited: PACER serves families in Minnesota, where the most spoken languages in addition to English are Spanish, Somali, Amharic, Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian, and Vietnamese. Producing content in all of those languages through traditional methods was not feasible.
• High-stakes: It’s crucial for parents to understand their parental rights in regards to their child’s special education and disability services. But some families may encounter barriers or not always feel comfortable reaching out for help. 

The Solution

In 2023, PACER received a grant to produce short, family-friendly videos in eight different languages using AI video generation. After evaluating several platforms, they chose Synthesia for its language depth, ease of use, and price point. PACER’s team built an entire content approach around it:

• Script-to-video without a production team: After a topic was chosen by the team, Kathie turned Rose’s finished scripts into polished 3-minute videos without a camera, studio, or recording schedule — even without a video production background.
• Trusted, native-language voices: Rather than generic AI voices, PACER created  voice clones of their current parent advocates. Spanish and Somali-speaking parents heard a familiar native speaker — someone whose voice parents know and who carries credibility with the communities they serve.
• Culturally appropriate visuals: Each video was tailored for its audience. AI-generated images filled in gaps stock libraries couldn't — producing culturally specific imagery on demand.
• Bite-sized and actionable: Every video runs about 3 minutes, ends with a concrete next step, and links to PACER's contact details for 1:1 support. The goal: every parent finishes a video feeling informed, confident, and ready to take the next step for their child.

"Our advocates were already at capacity — supporting families 1:1 and running workshops. And we needed content in eight languages, several of which we had no in-house translators for. Without Synthesia, producing localized content at the pace we’re moving now was not possible." — Rose Quintero, Team Lead Manager, Parent Training and Advocacy Department, PACER Center

The Impact

PACER's team has now reached 10,000 parents with clear, localized, actionable guidance — content most of those families could not have accessed any other way.

• 10,000 parents reached on YouTube in under 18 months — every view a parent, family member or friend of a child with a disability
• 15x more content than live production would have made possible
• 8 languages delivered — five of which were out of reach before Synthesia
• 60+ videos produced by a core team of two in under 18 months
• Organic peer sharing in Somali WhatsApp community groups 

"A lot of parents who don't speak English just don't feel comfortable calling in with questions. But now they can watch a video in their own language, at home, on their own time, as many times as they need. Each of those 10,000 views on our videos is a real parent getting information that can improve their child's education and impact their future." — Kathie Brinkman, Special Projects Administrator, PACER Center

Want to see what mission-driven teams are building with Synthesia? Explore more case studies.