Peer Education Program
Peer Education Panels
These panels feature 2-6 Penn State students from the disability community that have been trained in peer education. The panel discusses their journeys through their own identities, how disability is portrayed in the media, the language we use to talk about disability, and how Student Disability Resources can support students on campus.
Roughly 25% of American adults have a disability, and it is rarely talked about in academic settings. This panel is available to all classes, regardless of content area because no matter what field students go into, they will interact with people with disabilities. All panels include a question-and-answer session so students can learn more beyond the provided content.
Requesting a Peer Education Panel
Everyone is invited to request a panel of students, any department, level, or content area. Please request a panel at least two weeks in advance to allow time for scheduling. After you request a panel, you will receive a confirmation email from a Student Disability Resources representative a week before your panel.
On the date and time you requested, a panel of students will come to your class. Panels are structured to take up the majority of a class period, either 45 minutes for a 50-minute class or 70 minutes for a 75-minute class. If you are interested in having the panel come speak to at a department meeting, please contact the Peer education team at sdrpeered@psu.edu.
If you would like to request a panel, please complete this form:
Request a Peer Education Panel
Becoming a Peer Educator
We are always looking for students to serve as peer educators for our peer educator program. As a peer educator, you would be expected to complete training, join a Microsoft Team, and sign up for panels throughout the semester as they fit your availability. You can participate in as many panels as you want throughout the semester, whether it be one or a hundred and one.
The goal is to have students with disabilities talk about their experience, not only in life but at Penn State, and raise awareness about disability and the disability community to help reduce ableism around University Park. The panels could take place at any time of day, but usually correlate to the normal schedule of classes (ex 4:35 to 5:50 p.m. on a Tuesday). Training will occur on a rolling basis.
If you are interested in being a peer educator, please complete this form: