What is Project SEARCH ?
Project SEARCH is a one-year school-to-work transition program designed for young adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities who are either in their last year of high school or are recent graduates. The Project SEARCH program model was developed at the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center in 1996 and has been duplicated more than 500 times nationwide and in ten countries. Through this program, young adults develop the tools necessary for employment, and skills needed for self determination, management and self advocacy.
The cornerstone of Project SEARCH is total workplace immersion in a host business and related agencies. Participants are on site at the business each day for a minimum of six hours. The partners provide consistent on-site staff including a special education teacher and job coaches. Individual job development and placement occurs based on the participant’s experiences, strengths, and skills. Participants are given support with accommodations, adaptations and on-the-job coaching.
The Project SEARCH model involves an extensive period of training and career exploration, innovative adaptations, long-term job coaching, and continuous feedback from teachers, job coaches, and employers. As a result, at the completion of the training program, students with significant intellectual disabilities are often employed in nontraditional, complex and rewarding jobs.