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Project Search offers 10-month internships to help people with developmental disabilities find work
Summary
Presenters and participants described Project Search as a 10-month, unpaid internship program with a three-week orientation and three 10-week workplace rotations designed to build work-readiness and employer relationships for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
Project Search is a 10-month internship program that places people with intellectual and developmental disabilities into a host-business environment to build work-readiness and employment prospects, presenters said. The program begins with a three-week orientation at a host business and continues with three 10-week unpaid internships over the academic year, usually starting in late August or early September and finishing with graduation in mid-June.
"Project Search is a 10 month internship program," Speaker 1 (Presenter) said, summarizing the program model and its goal to guide participants toward employment by creating work-readiness skills. Speaker 2 (Presenter) outlined the calendar and structure, saying the orientation "allows interns to learn the culture of that business" before moving into the consecutive internship rotations.
Participants and supporters described both practical and personal benefits. "The best part being in Project Search was making all these coworker friends," Speaker 3 (Participant) said, naming friendships formed across housekeeping, gastrointestinal and emergency departments. Speaker 3 added that supervisors praised their work ethic. Speaker 5 (Participant) said the program made them feel "cocky, excited" and said they preferred working in lighter-duty areas where it is less busy.
Presenters emphasized value to host businesses in addition to benefits for participants. "There's obviously the inclusive aspect to it," Speaker 1 (Presenter) said, and added that employers gain a pipeline of interns who can become prospective employees. Speaker 2 (Presenter) described Project Search as a partnership among host business sites, adult funding sources and education systems that together support positive employment outcomes for young adults with disabilities.
Graduation was described as the start of a longer employment pathway, not an end. "While it's an achievement, it's the beginning of the journey of the pathway of employment," Speaker 1 (Presenter) said. To find out more about Project Search and other DDS employment services, presenters directed listeners to the program website.
No formal votes, motions or legal actions were reported during this presentation, which consisted of program description and participant testimony.
