"Preparing young people with significant disabilities for success in competitive integrated employment."
That is the motto of Project SEARCH.
Project SEARCH was developed at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, a research environment that fosters visionary thinking and innovation.
The program's primary objective is to secure competitive employment for people with disabilities.
It all began in 1996, when Erin Riehle was Director of Cincinnati Children’s Emergency Department. She felt that, because the hospital served individuals with developmental disabilities, it made sense that they should commit to hiring people in this group.
It has since expanded to over 450 hospitals and businesses around the world, including nearly two dozen in Michigan.
Six years ago, the program blossomed into something spectacular in Sault Ste. Marie.
It's a program for students (age 18-26) with a desire to work with a documented disability who are receiving special education services through an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) or disability support through a 504 plan at their local school district.
There are other Project SEARCH programs in Michigan but they are in larger metro areas such as Detroit, Grand Rapids, and Lansing. Project SEARCH is the only one currently this far north.
Kelli Fenlon-Wiinamaki, Project SEARCH Coordinator/Instructor in Sault Ste. Marie, has been with the program since it started.
She says it took a lot of cooperation between various organizations to make it all work.
"Tammy Hazley, our Assistant Director of Special Education, heard about Project SEARCH at a conference and encouraged the transition coordinator to find out more about it. When she was approached by Project SEARCH, her and Michigan Rehabilitation Services (MRS) approached Susan Sliger from Human Resources at the hospital about the opportunity. Susan presented the idea to the administration of the hospital and they were anxious for the opportunity to help the community and potential to also gain some employees. The program is a partnership between EUP-ISD, MyMichigan Medical Center Sault (previously War Memorial Hospital), and Michigan Rehabilitation Services," Fenlon-Wiinamaki said.
After a year of planning, Project SEARCH officially started in the Soo.
In the Fall of 2018, the first group of six special needs students started their new adventure.
"The first year actually went really well. We continue to stay in touch with the six interns that participated in that first year. Some have moved to other areas of the state and have had some job changes, as many young people do. But last we checked, they are all currently employed and thriving. In our second year, the COVID-19 pandemic hit and we continue to feel and see the difference the pandemic has made on the workforce. The hospital went through a lot of transitions and staffing changes, which was challenging but we worked through those obstacles together and continue to have successful employment outcomes for approximately 85% of our graduates," Fenlon-Wiinamaki explained.
In the past five years, Fenlon-Wiinamaki has seen the community and employers embrace the program.
"I do think that one thing that has improved has been the perceptions of the abilities of young adults with disabilities throughout our community. Employers and community members are seeing the capabilities of these young adults, as they graduate the program and become hired by local employers, where they become long-term, reliable, and dedicated employees," Fenlon-Wiinamaki continued.
Project SEARCH is a vital tool for those adults with special needs to be successful in the workforce.
"The unemployment rate of people with disabilities is usually about 80 per cent across the US. When students participate in Project SEARCH, that flips this number to about 80per cent of Project SEARCH graduates that are employed. Our current success rate of graduates that are employed is 85%. Project SEARCH prepares students for competitive, integrated employment. The program is vital because it is full immersion in the workplace that allows them the opportunity to experience work through 3 different internship experiences, along with a curriculum that focuses on building employment skills, focusing on soft skill acquisition, and independent life skills. The student interns have the opportunity to contribute to their community and be a part of a team. Throughout the year, we build on their strengths and help them find a job that allows them to shine. We are often defined by what we do. When you first meet someone, they often will ask what you do for work. These students' quality of life dramatically improves because they feel and know that they are contributing mentors of their society," Fenlon-Wiinamaki said.
Graduates of the Project SEARCH program in the Soo do find work outside MyMichigan's Medical system.
"Many have been hired by MyMichigan Medical Center Sault, however one of our interns actually wanted to move and works for MyMichigan Medical Center in Midland. Others found employment at Bay Mills Tribe and Casino, Medilodge, Superior Health Support Systems, The Antler’s Restaurant, The Home Depot and Helen Newberry Joy Hospital," Fenlon-Wiinamaki said.
Fenlon-Wiinamaki is not in this alone. She has help from a skills trainer, a special education supervisor, and others.
"The Skills Trainer's role is to support the students like a coach in their internships. Jessie (Piippo) and I work together to ensure the interns have any accommodations that are needed in their internships. We have a special education supervisor that provides support for the program and we have itinerant staff that support the students’ Individual Education Plans such as a school social worker, speech therapist, speech and language therapist, and teacher consultants. Michigan Rehabilitation Services, as one of the partners, provides the funding for the program and their vocational rehabilitation counselors support the program by assisting in developing plans for each of the interns and providing follow-along services for when they graduate the program.," Fenlon-Wiinamaki said.
Piippo is passionate about her position with Project SEARCH.
"I always put the interns first, approaching challenges with a positive attitude. Every intern is different and I modify each skill based on their style of learning. I instill in all my interns my strong work ethic. I am all in when it comes to preparing interns for employment and life as an adult after completion of the program. I want to be a skills trainer that truly makes a difference in this world. Everyone deserves a chance to succeed in life regardless of a disability, and I am here to break those barriers and show the world that a disability does not define a person!" Piippo said.
The hospital itself has been very instrumental in making this program a success.
"Susan Sliger is the Human Resources Strategic Partner, who serves as our Host Business Liaison to the program from MyMichigan Medical Center Sault. Susan has been instrumental in supporting the program and assuring that the interns are provided with excellent learning opportunities. We have over 20 departments that are identified internship settings for interns in each of those departments, there is a director that we work with to design the internship and staff that work within those departments that serve as mentors that are often the ones working one-on-one with the interns. Additionally, we have staff throughout the hospital who volunteer to be “Friends at Work” which is a program that we pair an intern with some employees to do social activities that create networking opportunities for them," Fenlon-Wiinamaki stated.
Fenlon-Wiinamaki cannot express enough how proud she is seeing everybody involved in Project SEARCH come together for these special needs adults.
"Everyone is very dedicated to the success of the program. We see so much growth in the 9 months that we have the student interns and the reward is in the spring when they start to get hired into their dream jobs! Jessie and I have been with the program since the beginning and we both feel it has been life changing for us. It is very hard work but the rewards are immense. We do whatever it takes to help the interns be successful and part of it is helping them through other parts of transition, such as moving on to living on their own and securing community resources. Jessie and I have both been moved to pursue higher education because of our experiences with the program. Jessie is currently pursuing her teaching degree and I just completed my doctorate degree, where I conducted research with Project SEARCH sites around the world to find out how to improve employees' confidence in working with people with disabilities," Fenlon-Wiinamaki added.
If you would like more information about Project SEARCH, please contact Fenlon-Wiinamaki at (906)253-0132 or email at [email protected]. Also, feel free to contact Katia Hughes/EUPISD Transition Coordinator/Special Education Supervisor
[email protected]
Click here for the national Project SEARCH website.
