Penn State students are going beyond the requirements of their own classes to aid in the college education of disabled students.

Through LifeLink PSU, a program developed by the College of Education's Special Education and Rehabilitation Services programs and the State College Area School District (SCASD), disabled students are given the opportunity to work with student mentors to experience the academic and social aspects of college life.

Program co-founder and SCASD special education teacher Teri Lindner said student mentors volunteer to go to university classes with LifeLink students, help them with course work or eat lunch with them.

"Due to their exposure to college students, I have seen a jump in the language and academic skills of the LifeLink students," Lindner said. "Shyer students have gained confidence from the invested interest of the mentors."

LifeLink students are allowed to choose from courses such as Kinesiology 017 (Ballroom Dancing) and Biobehavioral Health 148S (Coping with College: A First Year Transition Seminar). In addition, they have the opportunity to participate in extracurricular clubs and on-campus jobs.

Rachel Palevsky (junior-rehabilitation services) said LifeLink and Penn State students help each other mutually. "It really cheers me up when I'm stressed out with all of the college pressure," Palevsky said. "It's important that the [LifeLink] students don't feel different."

Lindner said LifeLink mentors volunteered a total of about 2,500 hours last year, compared to about 1,700 hours in 2002 when the program started.

Though most mentors come from the College of Education with their future plans involving a career in rehabilitation services, it's not required.

"Even though I don't plan on going into the education field, working with LifeLink has given me a lot of perspective on my plans for the future," Jim Crowell (senior-finance and economics) said. "The faces of the [LifeLink students] just light up when you walk in the room."

Program co-founder and professor Elias Mpofu, who currently teaches Rehabilitation 409 (Medical Aspects of Disability), said LifeLink PSU is a convenient, accessible option for students who want to participate in service learning because it is on campus.

"Mentors develop long-term relationships with the LifeLink students and they learn that they can make a difference in the community," Mpofu said.

Biobehaviorial health professor Susan Sherburne said her class has two LifeLink students who help to promote healthy class discussions.

"I think the program provides the [LifeLink mentors] with a different side of leadership," Sherburne said.

Part of the program's goal is to help LifeLink students decide what they want to do after they graduate, Elisa Coren (senior-rehabilitation services) said.

"Some work in day care, some go to culinary or arts schools," Coren said.

Jason Fish, a former LifeLink participant, said the program allowed him to take a course in criminology, which he said he enjoyed because of its true stories. He added that LifeLink might be a more useful experience for some students than others.

"I liked LifeLink, but it helped me realize that college isn't right for everyone," he said.