Jim Philp introduced today’s speaker, colleague Kurt Kominek, Program Director of Project Search from the LISD who spoke to us about Project Search – a program that gives students with disabilities an opportunity to find employment.
 
Project Search began in 1996, Kurt said, at the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital thanks to the vision of a nurse there who teamed up with a Special Education teacher friend of hers. There are now currently over 260 sites across the US, Scotland, England, Australia, Sweden and Canada! Project Search is a one year internship program for students with disabilities who are in their twelfth or thirteenth year of high school, whose primary goal is competitive employment. This model supports the teaching and learning process as well as the acquisition of marketable employability skills. During the course of one school year, students participate in three internships within the hospital setting as a way to explore and develop work skills in a variety of career paths.
 
A planning team has been assembled with representation from ProMedica Bixby and Herrick Hospitals, Lenawee Intermediate School District, Michigan Rehabilitation Services, Goodwill Industries of Southeastern Michigan, and Lenawee County Community Mental Health Authority. The role of this team is to design internships in ProMedica Bixby and Herrick Hospitals, recruit potential student participants, and provide support services for optimal student success throughout the internship experience. 
 
Young people who qualify receive training as “interns” exclusively at ProMedica Bixby and Herrick Hospitals. Interns are given the opportunity to work in three, unpaid rotations throughout the hospitals. These individuals, Kurt said, were “really underutilized citizens within our community”. Many people with disabilities do not work or if they do, it’s only part time he said. The Bureau of Labor Statistics in 2013 showed that only 17% of people with disabilities work full time. Employing these folks does a number of things, Kurt said: “It gives them a sense of purpose, pride and accomplishment and directly benefits the economy of the community that employs them”.  These people want to work and they are natural caregivers, Kurt said!
 
Basic eligibility guidelines include an extensive screening process, they must be 18-26 years old, must have access to public transportation, undergo a background check and have a desire to work. Worldwide, Project Search boasts of a 69% job placement rate! Locally there are currently 16 sites. Interns are working in the following departments at both Bixby and Herrick Hospitals: Emergency Services, Environmental Services, Nursing Education, Central Supply, Medical Surgical Services, Respiratory Therapy, Obstetrics, Radiology, Employee Health, Human Resources, Maintenance and Nutrition Services. There is a limit of 12 students per year in the program. For more information, call Kurt at (517) 265-0325 or e-mail him at kurt.kominek@lisd.us.
 
To view a video of Project Search students in action, click this link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B9thJF8MN6Y&feature=youtu.be