Jun 26, 2007 8:00 AM

A pathway to college

They are almost Bruins.

Their excitement about what's in store for them this fall is palpable. It's in the eager glances and smiles they give their parents at an orientation session when meal plans, roommates and welcome week activities are discussed. It's the pride — even awe — with which their parents watch them assemble around The Bruin Bear for their official class portrait.

"It's inconceivable that our kids are actually doing this," confided parent Kathe Beltran, whose daughter Kate is in the class.

Inconceivable perhaps to some because these 16 young adults have intellectual and other developmental disabilities — Down syndrome, autism, Asperger's syndrome or other disorders that affect their intellectual abilities — and are going to college as the inaugural class of Pathway at UCLA Extension.

"For us, it's a dream come true," said Moshe Buchinsky, a UCLA professor of economics, as his daughter, Sivan, talked enthusiastically about the prospect of going to basketball games with her dad and dropping by his Bunche Hall office or meeting him in the Sculpture Garden.

"I'm going to be more independent and learn new things that I wouldn't learn if I stayed home," Sivan said. "And I can make new friends!"

This long-awaited program has been carefully crafted to offer students a college-going experience as well as a curriculum that blends academics with the practical skills they'll need to live independently. Guiding it is an educational advisory council that includes Deans Aimée Dorr of the Graduate School of Education & Information Studies and Cathy Sandeen of Continuing Education and UCLA Extension, and chair Olivia Raynor, co-director of the Tarjan Center at UCLA and director of the National Arts and Disability Center.

For parents, it's an unheard-of opportunity.

"It's the first time I have met people who seem to get it," said Jacque Martin, whose daughter, Heidi Sand, is in the class. "There's so much more in terms of opportunities to empower these kids to do more than just get through life. There can be so much more to life for them" beyond special education, sheltered workshops and jobs that fall into four categories — food, filth, flowers and filing, as the saying goes.

"We want to see more opportunities open up for them," said Pathway Executive Director Eric Latham. "Higher education is how many of us make that happen. There's no reason why that shouldn't be true for this group of students as well."

While Pathway students will earn certificates rather than college credits or a degree, college-going will offer them a chance to make long-term friendships, develop independence within a semi-protected environment and "be in a place where you can learn about yourself," said Latham.

Living in apartments near campus, they will take classes in four UCLA Extension buildings and spend 60 hours a month learning to pay bills, budget, make medical appointments, use public transportation and cook, among other life skills. They will study at the library, exercise at the Wooden Center, eat in the dining halls, hang out at Ackerman and participate in campus life. Then at the end of two years, Pathway will help students transition to independent living.

Bringing these students together with non-disabled peers, Circle of Friends, an organization that started at the high school level, has already lined up 30 incoming UCLA freshmen to participate. While Pathway students will learn social language skills from their new friends, the UCLA students will learn that understanding and accepting differences can lead to meaningful friendships, said Barbara Palilis, executive director of Circle of Friends.

Hearing about all this at orientation, Sand said she can't wait to start college. "I want to try to live by myself. I want to have fun and go out." Sure, she admitted, it would be scary living without her family for the first time. "But I will have a new picture of my family on my wall," she said confidently.

"To watch her grow up and have this desire to make so much more of her life is fantastic," said her stepfather, John Martin.

Visit the UCLA Extension Pathway website for details.

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