Project SEARCH
AbilityFirst is proud to provide supports to Project SEARCH interns at the Kaiser Administrative Offices in Pasadena, Baldwin Park Medical Center and City of Hope in Duarte, California.
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. The cornerstone of Project SEARCH is a total workplace immersion with a host business and related agencies. Participants are on-site at the business location 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 occur based on the participant’s experience, strengths, and skills. Participants are given support with accommodations, assistive technology, and on-the-job coaching.
The Project SEARCH program model was developed at the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center in 1996 and has been nationally duplicated more than 500 times in ten countries. Through this program, young adults develop the tools necessary for employment and skills needed for self-determination, management, and self-advocacy.