Building partnerships and meaningful employment opportunities for Indiana citizens with disabilities

Improving employment outcomes for Indiana citizens with disabilities is a priority for the Bureau of Rehabilitation Services. Vocational Rehabilitation Services (VRS) is taking steps to improve transition services and to increase corporate job development in Indiana. In support of these efforts, VRS is partnering with the Center on Community Living and Careers (CCLC) at Indiana University's Indiana Institute on Disability and Community, as well as with collaborative teams of adult employment providers, school systems, and local businessess in the development of Indiana sites for Project SEARCH.

Project SEARCH, based on a model developed at Cincinnati Children's Hospital in 1996, provides transition-age students with quality internship experiences in preparation for competitive employment.

Students in transition - those with disabilities who are in their last year of high school - have found successful employment through the Project SEARCH model, which relies on:

Strong partner collaboration
Braided funding of multiple systems
Full immersion in the workplace culture
High expectations of all
Job training in real work settings
Employability-driven curriculum and activities

For more information about the Project SEARCH model and Project SEARCH Indiana, contact Margaret Gilbride at the Center on Community Living and Careers, (812) 855-6508 or mgilbrid@indiana.edu

• The Project SEARCH Indiana Information brochure – for families and caregivers of students in existing Project SEARCH Indiana locations, and
  
  
• The FAQs and Guidelines sheet -- for Vocational Rehabilitation Counselors serving high school students in Project SEARCH locations
  
  
• Fact Sheet – for general information on Project SEARCH Indiana