Project SEARCH transforms lives of interns and caregivers?

Precious Ortiz’s giggles ring off the concrete walls in the Saint Joseph Hospital basement in Denver, Colorado, as she helps Environmental Services (EVS) supervisor Blanca Perez push a cart loaded with empty sharps containers. Earlier, Precious completed her favorite EVS duty — vacuuming. Her dark eyes shine behind thick glasses as she grins, “I could do that for hours!”??

Meanwhile, in the materials management warehouse, Marisa Kidder gathers packages to fulfill a nursing resupply order. She thumbs each package and quietly counts aloud to 18. Customer care tech Mike Higginbotham gently coaches her about the need for?two more packages to complete the order. Next, Marisa follows Supply Chain technician Jennifer Velez to the fifth floor to restock a supply closet. Jennifer points out the proper bin for each product, and Marisa fits each item into place like a Tetris block.???

Down the hallway, Arturo Villalobos-Olivas runs his fingers along the shelves of a nursing supply closet to count the supplies. Arturo is blind, so an orientation and mobility specialist is guiding him through the hospital and his tasks. Together, they determine the closet could use more of the thick packages of wipes. Arturo feels along the items on his resupply cart. The plastic crinkles as he squeezes the packages of wipes to feel their thickness. “This one. These are thick,” he says, placing a package into the nursing closet.??

Precious, Marisa, and Arturo are among six interns working at Saint Joseph’s as part of the Intermountain Health inaugural Project SEARCH program. Project SEARCH is a one-year internship program to help young adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities transition from high school to work.??

Developed at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Project SEARCH combines classroom instruction, career exploration, and hands-on training through workplace immersion.??

Participants acquire marketable work skills with a goal of securing competitive, integrated employment. Over the past 10 years, 64% of Colorado Project SEARCH participants have successfully obtained part-time or full-time employment, according to the Colorado Division of Vocational Rehabilitation.??

“The program aligns perfectly with our mission and values by promoting workplace inclusion while also addressing a community health need,” said Chuck Alt, Peaks Region Community Health program manager. Chuck led the charge to launch Project SEARCH at Saint Joseph Hospital.??

According to the National Institutes of Health , “People with intellectual disabilities are more likely to be disproportionally exposed to a cascade of disparities, including unemployment, poverty, exclusion, low levels of education, poorer access to healthcare, and discrimination.”?

“We started this at Saint Joe's, which has this rich mission history around inclusion, but this was an area we hadn’t yet focused on,” Chuck said. “When we think about diversity and inclusion, this was a chance for us to broaden that definition. This program also gets out in front of what is a community health issue around housing, employment readiness, and economic stability for a vulnerable population.”?

Project SEARCH at Saint Joseph’s is a multi-agency partnership. Denver Public Schools (DPS) and the Colorado Division of Vocational Rehabilitation helped Intermountain set up the program and worked with?Karen Beyer, education coordinator,?and Jenna Lungaro, nurse educator,?to identify work for the interns and skills that could be taught.??

DPS provides a teacher and a paraeducator who lead daily classroom instruction and coach the interns in career development. Easter Seals provides a skills trainer to help them with their job skills.?

The six inaugural participants began their internships in September and will rotate through three experiences in different departments until May 2025. On the job, they’re paired with mentors like Mike and Blanca. And as part of their experience, the interns learn to identify and express the accommodations they need to help them succeed in the workplace.??

For example, Belinda Nicole Ramirez said she benefits from modeling tasks, visual reminders, and breaking information into small, concrete chunks. Hamilie Carillo and Marisa have a text-to-speech accommodation to help them understand written information. Other accommodations include repetition, extra time to process, visual checklists, and frequent check-ins to ensure understanding.?

“They’re just like you and I; they’re wonderful human beings who deserve every opportunity,” said DPS job coach Celine Abeyta. “This program is opening doors for interns. Everyone here is accommodating and supportive of the students. And it’s nice being in an environment where you know they can succeed.”?

As we often find with efforts focused on serving the community, this program benefits everyone involved — not only the interns.?

“I thought, ‘this is a great thing to do for these six people, and we'll prepare them for the future with the tools that they need,’” said Chuck. “These six individuals are transforming the workplace in terms of a tremendous amount of joy and ride for our caregivers who are part of the program.”

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Best practices:?

• Ask the person with a disability what they need and how they work best. Ask what has worked for them when learning a job and working with a team or leader in the past.?
• Focus on the person when talking:?
• When talking through an interpreter, look at the person, not the interpreter.?
• When talking to someone in a wheelchair, sit or kneel to be at eye level.?
• Talk to a person with a disability in the same voice you use with everyone. Avoid talking louder, in a higher pitch, etc.?
• Treat the everyday life and accomplishments of a person with a disability the same as you would someone without a disability. Don't refer to their lives as inspirational; they’re just living.??
• Avoid euphemisms like "handicapable" or "differently abled."?
• Make sure your facility is accessible (Braille, large print signage, wheelchair access). For example, if the only accessible bathroom is on the first floor, but they work on the third floor, think about changing their floor assignment or giving them extra time during breaks.?
• Don't do it alone! Disabilities and people vary. Use this online resource to educate yourself on disability types and work considerations.?