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Preparing for life after high school is a right of passage for all students, even those with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
Project SEARCH provides real-life work experience combined with employment and independent living skills training to help young people with disabilities make successful transitions to a productive adult life.
Susan Dudley works with students in the Tupelo Public School District as a Project SEARCH Instructor at North Mississippi Health Services.
The project was launched in Tupelo in August 2019 as a partnership between Tupelo High School, the Mississippi Department of Rehabilitation Services, and North Mississippi Health Services.
Students rotate through three internships in areas of interest at the medical center during the program while gaining social, communication, and life skills. The end goal is for students to have a job when they leave the program.
Project SEARCH is an immersive experience for eligible students provided at the hospital, making it different from a high school setting.
The students learn job skills, social skills, what is expected in the work place, and how to perform at work.
Project SEARCH significantly impacts students' lives because it makes them feel like they are a part of the community. Working helps the students become successful and feel good about themselves.
Project SEARCH has grown across Mississippi over the past four years and will continue to grow in the years to come to allow transition-age high school students between 18-21 to access the program and gain the skills they need to succeed in the workplace and their communities.
In the Tupelo area, schools are continually being added to the program to provide students access to these services. Next year, Project SEARCH will be picking up the Lee County School District high schools and Nettleton High School to allow more students to participate.
There are many success stories of students from the Tupelo Public School District program. Several students have been hired full-time with benefits in different positions. One young lady from the first-year program is an employee at the hospital laundry. She is doing a fantastic job there, and the staff loves working with her.
Two young adults work with food nutrition services, and another works in Central Sterile Processing. One student also went on to community college and worked at a local restaurant while going to school.
In her 40 years in education, Dudley said working with Project SEARCH is her favorite job.
"I can see the skills our students are learning. I can see the things we are doing that will impact the rest of their lives," Dudley said. "The program gives them the skills they need to be as independent as possible. It allows them to access their community and build adult relationships once they get out of high school that they otherwise might not have had the opportunity to do."
Dudley claims that she sees more growth in that year than in any other program within the school setting.
Project SEARCH has made the community aware of potential employees who are dedicated, enthusiastic, and committed to showing up.
The program gives businesses a workforce to choose from they might not have realized they had access to before.
A business advisory committee was formed to share the program's positive outcomes with community businesses and allows them to share what they need from their workforce.
This input helps the program train its interns in those skill levels.
"Set expectations high. Our students will strive to meet them. Don't look at the fact they have a disability – look at their abilities. They can learn. Often, they learn differently, but that doesn't mean they can't do it," said Dudley.
Students unsure about the program should try it because they will have a support team to help find the job they want. They will be able to learn new things they've never experienced before and improve their skillsets.
If you are interested in learning more about Project SEARCH, visit www.mdrs.ms.gov.
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