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Experience

Project SEARCH

Transition Employment Program
EST. 2010

A Bit About Us

Project SEARCH was developed at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, a research environment that fosters visionary thinking and innovation. It all began in 1996, when Erin Riehle was Director of Cincinnati Children’s Emergency Department. Erin felt that, because the hospital served individuals with developmental disabilities, it made sense that they should commit to hiring people in this group. She wondered if it would be possible to train people with developmental disabilities to fill some of the high- turnover, entry-level positions in her department, which involved complex and systematic tasks such as stocking supply cabinets. As a starting point, Erin presented her ideas to Susie Rutkowski, then the special education director at Great Oaks Career Campuses. Erin and Susie formed a partnership that was instantaneous, and together they launched Project SEARCH.


Since its inception, Project SEARCH has grown from a single program site at Cincinnati Children’s to a large and continuously expanding international network of sites. Project SEARCH’s primary objective is to secure competitive employment for people with disabilities.

Job Development

Individualized job development is integrated within the program to set you up for success. An employment specialist will help you find a job after Project SEARCH that matches your skills and employment goals within the community!

Image by Markus Winkler
Chefs at Work

Work Experience

Three 10 week internships provide interns the opportunity to learn on the job skills. Departments we have partnered with include: dining services, facilities management, archives, instructional resource services, and more!

Curriculum

Created specifically for this international program, our curriculum consists of 9 units focusing on: team building, workplace safety, technology, self-advocacy, maintaining employment, financial literacy, heath & wellness, preparing for employment, and social/communication.

Teacher Assisting a Student

Statistics

48

States Participate in the US

705

International Sites

37,275

People Served since 2010

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