In June, NCCDD Council member Bill Hussey, director of Exceptional Children's Program at the Department of Public Instruction, spoke at the graduation ceremony for Project SEARCH -- an internship program to increase employment skills and opportunities for individuals with disabilities. Project SEARCH is supported by a grant from NCCDD.

Through this model, individuals with a variety of disabilities rotate through unpaid internships in settings such as hospitals, pharmacies, restaurants, government offices, and retail stores with on site staff to provide feedback so the individual can gain and/or increase marketable job skills. The specific employment goals for each Project SEARCH intern includes 16 hours a week or more, minimum wage or better, in an integrated setting. The program has not only increased employment rates of participants, but has demonstrated culture change at the host business as employees and employers recognize the job skills of people with disabilities.

Project SEARCH is a national program that began at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center in 1996. There are over 300 programs operating in 43 states and Canada with 69% of participants becoming employed. There are currently 10 programs in North Carolina serving more than 80 young people with disabilities with plans to expand in the coming year.