Project SEARCH: Opening Doors to Employment for Young People with Disabilities

Project SEARCH, a school-to-work program for developmentally and physically disabled high school students transitioning to employment, is reviewed in this new brief. The program requires collaboration between a sponsoring employer, school system, community rehabilitation provider, and state vocational rehabilitation agency and/or state or local developmental disabilities agency. Each site enrolls 10 to 12 students per year, who spend the entire school day at the workplace. During the second month, students are assigned to individualized worksite rotations or internships for 10 weeks that simulate real-world employment. While this school-to-work model has been implemented in 140 additional sites in the United States and the United Kingdom, a national evaluation has not been conducted. A cost/benefit analysis should be implemented to determine if the program's high costs—$233,280 for each site serving approximately 10 to 12 students per year—merit wider program implementation.