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Project SEARCH
- General Information
- Fee Schedule
- Statewide Meeting Schedule
- Technical Assistance Training Schedule
- Accomplishments
General Information
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.
Project SEARCH National Website
Project SEARCH is a business led collaboration that enables young adults with disabilities to gain and maintain employment through training and career exploration. A 9-12 month program, Project SEARCH provides total immersion in a large community business. Students with disabilities are offered a workforce alternative for their last year of high school. All participants must be eligible for services with the Wisconsin Division of Vocational Rehabilitation (DVR). At some sites, young adults who have completed high school may be eligible to participate in Project SEARCH.
The Project SEARCH partnership includes a local high status business, a school, DVR, a vocational services agency and a disability services agency, such as a managed care organization. The business provides an on-site training classroom, business liaison and rotational internships for on the job training. The school provides an instructor. DVR works with a local vocational services agency to supply job coaches who support students in their internships as needed and assist with final job placement. The disability services agency provides follow along services for any eligible student who is hired at the business site or in the community.
Each day, students report to the host business, learn employability skills in the classroom and job skills through their internships (usually 3-4 internships during the year). Students are encouraged to use public transportation when available, just as they would when employed after high school. Students and their teams meet monthly for progress reports and to continually refine their career goals and determine concrete next steps. Managers from the host business work with the teacher and job coaches to support the students every step of the way, with an ultimate goal upon program completion being the students' competitive placements at the host business or in the community, based on the skills and experience learned in their Project SEARCH experiences.
Project SEARCH sites must be licensed by the flagship business, Cincinnati Children's Hospital, and must comply with standards of model fidelity (trademarked and copyrighted). Technical assistance is provided by the founders of Project SEARCH to ensure consistency in approach and data collection for this evidenced based program.
Fee Schedule
Statewide Meeting Schedule
| Date | Location | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Tuesday October 10, 2017 | Wal-Mart Distribution Center 6100 3M Drive Menomonie, WI 54751 Conference A and B |
9:00AM-3:00PM |
| Tuesday February 13, 2018 | TBD | 9:00AM-3:00PM |
| Tuesday May 8, 2018 | TBD | 9:00AM-3:00PM |
| Wednesday August 1, 2018 -or- Thursday August 2, 2018 |
PS National Conference Savanna, GA |
9:00AM-3:00PM |
| Tuesday October 9, 2018 | Gundersen Health System 1900 South Avenue Lacrosse, WI 54601 |
9:00AM-3:00PM |
Technical Assistance Training Schedule
| Date | Location | Time | Training |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wednesday August 16, 2017 -to- Thursday August 17, 2017 |
Aspirus 333 Pine Ridge Blvd. Wausau, WI 54401 |
Wednesday August 16, 2017 Medallion Room A 8AM-3PM Thursday August 17, 2017 Medallion Room B 8AM-3PM |
2 Day General Overview |
| Thursday September 14, 2017 | UW-Platteville 1 University Plaza Platville, WI 53818 |
9AM-2:30PM | Refresher |
| Thursday October 26, 2017 | Aspirus 333 Pine Ridge Blvd. Wausau, WI 54401 |
8AM-2:30PM | Student Selection |
| Tuesday November 7, 2017 -to- Wednesday November 8, 2017 |
Rock County Job Center 1900 Center Ave Janesville, WI 53546 Room K |
Tuesday November 7, 2017 8AM-3PM Wednesday November 8, 2017 8AM-3PM |
2 Day General Overview |
Project SEARCH Materials
The information included in the above link is for licensed Project SEARCH Teams only. You must be a registered WIEXT users to access the site. You can become a registered WIEXT user by following the directions below.
If you are not a Service Provider and are requesting access, please follow the following steps. Statewide Service Providers should already have a registered WIEXT account they can use for access and may skip to step 3:
- Go to the DWD/Wisconsin Logon Management System and select the "Logon Creation" link under "Sign Up for your DWD/Wisconsin Logon". Follow the steps provided on at that site.
- Once your logon is created, click on the "Project SEARCH Materials" link above and select "Request access" in the "Error: Access Denied" dialog box.
- Your request for access will go through the process of approval. If you are not directly associated with a licensed Project SEARCH team in Wisconsin, your access will be automatically denied without notice.
Licensed Project SEARCH teams will have view/print only access to materials such as agendas, training PPTs, handouts, directory, etc.
Accomplishments
This year's Project SEARCH National Conference was held on July 25-28, 2017 at the Kalahari Resort in Pocono Mountains, PA. At the awards night, Wisconsin received 11 awards in the following employment categories:
100% Employment
- Aspirus Riverview Hospital Clinics, Inc. –Wisconsin Rapids, WI
- Kalahari Resort—Wisconsin Dells, WI
- Marshfield Medical Center (Formerly known as Ministry St. Joseph's Hospital)—Marshfield, WI
80 - 89% Employment
- Bellin Health/St. Vincent Hospital—Green Bay, WI
- Children's Hospital of Wisconsin—Milwaukee, WI
- Sauk Prairie Healthcare—Prairie du Sac, WI
- St. Elizabeth Hospital—Appleton, WI
- UW Hospital/William S. Middleton VA Hospital—Madison, WI
- Wal-Mart Distribution Center 6025—Menomonie, WI
70 - 79% Employment
- Waukesha Memorial (ProHealth Care)—Waukesha, WI
- River Falls Area Hospital—River Falls, WI
A successful outcome is defined as competitive employment in an integrated setting year-round, 16+ hours/week, and at minimum wage or higher.
