Assistant Secretary Kathleen Martinez recently congratulated nine
high school students with disabilities who graduated from a new
Department of Labor work experience program. The Project SEARCH
Federal Sector Program was founded by ODEP and its project partners:
Project SEARCH Cincinnati, The District Of Columbia (DC) Public
Schools, the DC Rehabilitation Services Administration/Department on
Disabilities Services., and the Kennedy Institute of Catholic
Charities, Diocese of Washington.
The students' graduation ceremony was held in the USDOL Auditorium and
featured remarks by Assistant Secretary Martinez; Michelle Rhee,
Chancellor DC Public Schools; Dr. Richard Nyankori, Deputy Chancellor,
Special Education Department, DC Public Schools and Roy Albert, Deputy
Director, DC Rehabilitation Services Administration, Department on
Disabilities Services.
The Project SEARCH Federal Sector Program features both a classroom
embedded in the USDOL worksite, and three work experience rotations.
The Project SEARCH model has been very successful in assisting students
with disabilities who might otherwise not be employed in competitive
careers. The graduates, who are in their last year of high school,
received work experience in general office and computer skills as well
as the general skills required in the world of work. Four graduates
have since been hired by the USDOL, three more have been hired by
outside firms and others are interviewing with other employers.
Recognizing the program?s value, two more federal agencies have
approached USDOL and Project Search Cincinnati about starting their
own Project Search programs.
Project SEARCH was founded by Cincinnati Children's Hospital to serve
people with disabilities through innovative workforce and career
development. Through this process, employers are educated about the
potential of this underutilized workforce while meeting their human
resource needs. The program is dedicated to workforce development that
benefits the individual, community, and workplace.