In 1996, Project SEARCH was launched at the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Centre. The founder and Director of Cincinnati Children’s Emergency Department, Erin Riehle, felt that since the hospital served individuals with developmental disabilities, it should commit to hiring people to work in the business. She trained people with exceptionalities to work in high-turnover, entry level positions that involved complex and systematic tasks. Erin presented her ideas to Susie Rutkowski, the special education director at Great Oaks Career Campuses, and together they launched Project SEARCH.
Since its inception, Project SEARCH has grown from a single program site at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital to a large and continuously expanding international network of sites. Currently, there are 800+ Project SEARCH sites worldwide. The program reports that approximately 75% of the Intern graduates find gainful employment.
Project SEARCH in Canada
The Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board began the fourth Project SEARCH program in Canada. Sites continue to grow throughout the country.
Visit the links to learn more about Project SEARCH in Canada: projectsearchcanada.org and around the world: https://projectsearch.us/
