Project SEARCH empowers students with disabilities to blaze paths after high school graduation
Denver 7 News
October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month, and a partnership between Saint Joseph Hospital and Denver Public Schools is filling a very important need in the community.
This year, six Denver Public Schools interns are embarking on a year-long internship at Saint Joseph Hospital as part of Project SEARCH, a program aimed at providing real-world training and internships for students with disabilities.
Ensuring an endless supply of latex gloves, masks, and other medical supplies is readily available its a crucial task at any hospital.
Arturo Villalobos, one of the interns, is in charge of making sure those essentials are ready to go. As he goes, he runs his fingers over the edges of the shelves.
This is the cabinet I open the shelf and as you can see, it's labeled in Braille, said Arturo Villalobos as he restocks a supply cabinet on the hospital floor.
Im blind and visually impaired. Thats how I was born, Villalobos explains.
The six interns are part of Denver Public Schoolss Transition to Independence Program, which provides services to support students, ages 18-21 with disabilities, who need extra support in transitioning into the next stage of life.
The environment that Saint Joseph has created has really been so fostering and nurturing students are able to grow like in confidence, and, you know, grow those soft skills in addition to the work skills that they're building, said Project SEARCH instructor Mike Kenneally.
The interns learn about many roles within the hospital setting, including spending a few days immersing themselves in the simulation lab.
In a typical day-to-day, though, theyll do everything from patient transport to nutrition services.
Not only does the year-long internship give these students valuable work skills, it also grows their confidence.
Jonathan Dumas is one of DPSs Transitions Program lead instructor specialists, but prior to this, he was a classroom teacher and Arturo happened to be one of his former students.
He told Denver7 the change in his personality has been incredible.
Arturo now navigates getting here independently with Access-a-Ride, and he asks questions. He feels at home here. So really, just his growth of feeling comfortable and safe and being able to take those next steps to grow, Dumas described.
The folks at Project SEARCH tell Denver7 it results in a 72% employment rate for students who take part in the program.
Many go on to stay in their roles after the internship is over.
Chuck Ault, the community health program manager at Saint Joseph Hospital, told Denver7 their impact on the hospital already transcends the typical job description.
You're like, Okay, here's six interns that are going to really benefit from this, and what you're not prepared for is how much these six individuals have transformed the culture of this place.
The internship may only be a year, but it doesn't stop there. Once its over, the six interns will be paired up with a counselor from the Colorado Department of Vocational Rehabilitation who will be there to make sure their transition into the working world goes smoothly.