Before the existence of programs like WorkLink, students with IDD did not have many opportunities to attend college.
Allison Fleming, associate professor of education (rehabilitation and human services) and director of WorkLink, said students with IDD learn and play alongside their peers in the K-12 environment, but when graduation comes their peers go off to college or work. “Many students with IDD do not have these opportunities readily available. Many do of course, but data show that this population of students with disabilities is the most marginalized when it comes to employment and higher education,” she said.
Fleming cited studies found at thinkcollege.net and https://bit.ly/41Yu17s to illustrate this marginalization in the higher education and workplace environments.
WorkLink, one of only 315 programs of its kind nationwide, enables students with IDD to go to college with their peers.
“They go to class and learn and work incredibly hard, and of course that is an important part of college. But possibly even more important is the time they spend with peers. We have a wonderful cadre of Allies (student volunteers) and interns who help WorkLink students integrate into the Penn State community,” said Fleming.
“WorkLink students find things they like to do, make friends and college memories — just like everyone else in college. They struggle with balancing studying and hobbies, and work, and friends — just like everyone else. They take on more responsibility for themselves and their future careers and lives — just like everyone else. As a result of these experiences, the students are so much more confident, self-directed, independent, and have a greater sense of who they are and what they want for themselves by the time they graduate,” she said.
The WorkLink program does not exclude anyone based on high school grades or academic performance. Admissions are considered more holistically, emphasizing independence, social-emotional attributes, and a desire to learn and get a job.
Exploring options
“WorkLink seminar is a time for students to explore their options as adults and independent people,” said Schwoerer. “Our topics focus on personal growth, self-advocacy, independent living skills and personal readiness for employment. Given the opportunity to dedicate time to their own development, students realize and identify their areas of strength and what they can work on. They push their boundaries and take charge of their own growth.”
Fleming said WorkLink course content is tailored to meet the current interests and needs of the class. “It’s a place for the students to take risks, try things out, test novel ideas and get feedback in a safe place. The confidence they gain in the program transfers to their work and life experiences,” she said.
WorkLink students take 12 credits each semester. “Our WorkLink seminar is six credits, and then students have the opportunity to audit two additional three-credit classes. These audit courses are based on the student’s interests and career goals, and are decided with their WorkLink faculty advisers,” said Schwoerer. “WorkLink students have taken courses in many disciplines including agricultural business, rehabilitation and human services, event management, history and visual arts.”
The priority is to identify courses that lead to student self-advocacy, social integration, career development and independent living skill development. This may include course development or use of groups made up of WorkLink students to address skills needed.
Emily Thom, a second-year WorkLink student, said learning has been her favorite thing about the program. “I have been able to take a few psychology classes, American Sign Language and deaf culture,” she said.
“WorkLink has provided me with new topics, and an internship at Redifer Commons,” said Thomas Verderame, also a second-year student. “I have gotten better at conversing with people from my effective communication class, and I have gotten better at acting from my theatre class.”
WorkLink has done much more than educate students, however. It has given them the sense of belonging that is important for everyone to have.
Being in the WorkLink program “means that I have the opportunity to attend college courses and I am able to be a college student,” said second-year student Aaron Eiman.
“It means a lot being able to have the college experience when I have a disability which makes it harder for me to understand,” said second-year student Dalyn Call.
Parent Michael Verderame said his son’s experience with Worklink has been wonderful. “It has provided Thomas the opportunity to go to Penn State, just like his older sister and brother,” he said. “Perhaps most importantly, the internship he is currently undertaking as part of the culminating experience for WorkLink is providing him the opportunity to accumulate additional skills in food services beyond sweeping floors and wiping tables, and demonstrate that he can do these skills at a level sufficient for possible future employment.”
A key to the program is the inclusion of undergraduate student Allies, who interact with WorkLink students in both social and academic settings. These undergraduate students provide WorkLink students with the peer relationships that are not available through formal supports from staff.
“I love how the WorkLink program encourages students to grow. Strengths and struggles are acknowledged. The community is fun and supportive, and I can tell that this program is changing lives,” said Amira El-Dinary, a final-semester communication sciences and disorders major who became a WorkLink Ally this past fall.
“While the consensus is that people do mature and grow on their own, WorkLink is a place that gives that process a jump start and then fosters growth beyond expectations,” Schwoerer said.
Experiential learning
WorkLink provides many opportunities for experiential learning. WorkLink students have participated in volunteer events at the Lion’s Pantry and in downtown State College as holiday bell ringers for the Salvation Army. Students engage in site visits and tours of places on campus where they can learn, work and play. After exploring work opportunities, second-year students participate in internships in their final semester that they apply toward their certificate.
“This semester, students are working on campus at the HUB, two dining halls, the bookstore and Johnston commons. Also, one is at the Altoona campus, and another works for an elementary school in the State College Area School District,” Fleming said.
The WorkLink program would not be successful without the support of employment locations on campus and of businesses in the local community, who provide internships and work experiences for students in the program.
“We cannot say enough about the folks at Auxiliary and Business Services — especially Katy Petrosky and Lisa Curley. They were instrumental in identifying units with openings, arranging tours, and finding supervisors who have been so incredibly welcoming to our students doing internships. As a result of their help, six of our students have paid internships as Penn State student employees,” Fleming said.
Another student had expressed a strong interest in working with children, ideally as a paraprofessional. Over the summer she worked with Schwoerer and another student to study for the highly qualified exam required of incoming paraprofessionals.
“She passed the exam on her first try, and immediately pursued a job in the district. She has been hired and is working in a classroom with kindergarteners and first-graders,” Schwoerer said.
Off-campus, WorkLink students currently work at two McDonald’s locations, Quality Inn and The UPS Store on North Atherton Street, all in State College.
Vic DeDonato, the owner of the UPS Store, had heard about WorkLink and reached out to Schwoerer for information and a potential partnership.
“Vic has reported that WorkLink students do a terrific job and make his store a better place. There, our students learn that they are welcomed and valued members of a workplace and appreciate the opportunity to learn and grow with their coworkers,” Schwoerer said.
The students are prepared for success in their internships and work experiences through the WorkLink seminars. “Seminars provide practical learning opportunities to understand what it takes to be seen as a successful employee,” said Fleming. “This includes effective professional communication, punctuality and responsibility, meeting demands and responsibilities, and solving problems by collaborating with coworkers. Students practice these skills through assignments and through negotiating situations with peers and program Allies.”
Allies and interns
Allies are incorporated in every aspect of WorkLink: seminar, Penn State classes, campus exploration and social hangouts. The experience allows students and Allies to form social bonds and relationships and that foster growth in both parties.
“I love being able to spend time with all the students and getting to watch them grow and learn so much through all of the incredible opportunities they are given thanks to this wonderful program,” said Payton Shilling, who has been a WorkLink Ally for two years and is in her final semester as a corporate innovation and entrepreneurship major.
“It is truly rewarding to watch them make their mark on the world and see the positive impact they have on the lives around them,” said Ryan Sorbo, a second-year student majoring in health policy and administration.
Along with Allies, the WorkLink program involves student interns. The interns this spring are seniors Laila Kennedy, a rehabilitation and human services (RHS) major with minors in psychology and communication sciences and disorders, and Kerry Hasson, an RHS major with a minor in psychology.
As interns, they assist in tutoring students and working through readings and course assignments, and job development and job coaching. They also support the WorkLink faculty as needed, prepare and present WorkLink seminar topics, schedule and plan events for the WorkLink students, and participate in social activities with the WorkLink students.
Kennedy and Hasson said they carried what they learned in their courses about supporting individuals with intellectual disabilities into their internships, as they help WorkLink students live as independently as possible in academic and vocational settings.
“My favorite thing is seminar, where we get to present on important topics like self-advocacy, healthy habits, independent living, financial literacy and more,” said Hasson.
“My favorite thing about the WorkLink program is seeing the progress that our students make over the course of their enrollment, particularly in their interpersonal skills and independence,” said Kennedy.
Support from the college
WorkLink was created in 2018 with the help of a grant. Since it launched, Fleming said the College of Education has supported it in tangible and intangible ways.
“Dean Kim Lawless has advocated for institutional support for our program as we transitioned from grant-funded to sustainable revenue models of funding. She also gave us a beautiful space, centrally located in Chambers and near other student support-oriented offices. This is a loud and clear message that she values WorkLink and the diversity that our program brings to the college,” Fleming said.
WorkLink also has been granted access to graduation, and students walk across the stage alongside their peers. “That is another visible and incredibly meaningful way to show support for our students,” she said.
Fleming’s home department of Educational Psychology, Counseling and Special Education also has shown strong support for the program.
“My colleagues support our commitment to WorkLink by advertising to our students to become Allies and to gain clinical experience as interns,” she said.
Schwoerer said that it’s important for people to know about the WorkLink program and its students. “Awareness of the program increases people’s awareness of this young adult population. As people are introduced to WorkLink and our students, they see that WorkLink provides an opportunity for people whose needs remain at times invisible,” she said.
Fleming said a striking finding from programs like WorkLink is that students who attend are significantly more likely to get a job following graduation. This translates to an increase in tax revenue and decreased reliance on disability benefits over the course of a person’s lifetime.
“Aside from the financial benefits, it means that we get to know and understand people’s talents and see them get to apply them to a workplace. For students who are generally 25 years old or younger when they graduate, the opportunity to work is critically important for a person’s lifelong earnings, social capital and overall well-being,” she said.