Project SEARCH®
Interested?
Contact Marilee Boylan, M.S.
Director of Employment
Marilee Boylan
(585) 276-6449
Project SEARCH® provides employment training and education for young adults with significant disabilities. The program is dedicated to workforce development that benefits the individual, community, and workplace. The Strong Center for Developmental Disabilities serves as the statewide coordinator for Project SEARCH® in New York State. Working in collaboration with the Project SEARCH® team at Cincinnati Children's Hospital, we can provide technical assistance to communities interested in starting a Project SEARCH® program. Please contact us for more information.
Employment Equity Coalition
In October of 2018 SCDD co-hosted an employment summit with Starbridge. The ROC EmployABILITY Summit was born of a recognition that people with disabilities in the City of Rochester are the poorest of any city in the country. To learn more about the summit and the findings, read this report.
This work continues through the Employment Equity Coalition. To learn more or become involved in the ROC EmployABILITY Coalition, contact us!
SCDD Employment Advocacy
SCDD advocates for high expectations related to employment for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities across stakeholder groups (state officials, businesses, schools, families, and provider agencies). We advocate at the state and federal level to design creative and culturally responsive employment services.
Self-Advocacy Curriculum
Through the Partnerships in Employment Systems Change project, SCDD developed Self-Advocacy Curriculum that is free and available to districts and agencies across the state. It can serve as a resource to support young adults to develop advocacy skills related specifically to employment. Read the full curriculum.
Partners and Collaborators
APSE
SCDD is a proud member of APSE, a national, non-profit organization dedicated to Employment First, a vision that all people with disabilities have a right to competitive employment in an inclusive workforce.
New York Alliance for Inclusion and Innovation
SCDD is a proud member of the New York Alliance for Inclusion and Innovation’s Employment Council. This council focuses on advanced level, cross systems approach to employment services for people with disabilities in NY.
Starbridge
Starbridge is a disability service provider located in upstate New York. SCDD collaborated with Starbridge to co-host and employment summit in 2018 that brought together employment experts and community stakeholders to brainstorm barriers to strategies for decreasing poverty and increasing employment for people with disabilities in Rochester, NY. Starbridge continues to be a great partner in a leadership capacity through the ROC EmployABILITY Coalition.
Project SEARCH®
Project SEARCH is a one-year training program for people with disabilities that was developed at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital. SCDD collaborates with the Project SEARCH national team in Cincinnati to offer technical assistance and support to existing and potential Project SEARH teams across New York State.
RAEN
SCDD is a proud member of the Rochester Area Employment Network (RAEN). RAEN is a coalition of agencies in the Rochester, New York area, that works collectively to promote the employment of people with disabilities through education, outreach, and training opportunities.
Project SEARCH® Sites in Monroe County
New York State Coordination
The Strong Center for Developmental Disabilities serves as the statewide coordinator for Project SEARCH® in New York State. Working in collaboration with the Project SEARCH® team at Cincinnati Children's Hospital, we can provide technical assistance to communities interested in starting a Project SEARCH® program. Please contact us for more information.
Current Project SEARCH® Programs in New York State
- Montefiore Hospital, Bronx
- Montefiore Hospital, New Rochelle
- New York Presbyterian, Queens
- New York Presbyterian Hospital/Westchester, White Plains
- Our Lady of Lourdes Memorial Hospital, Binghamton
- RXR Realty, Manhattan
- Staten Island University Hospital, Staten Island
- University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester
- Upstate Medical University, Syracuse
- Wegmans Food Markets, Rochester
Project SEARCH® Evaluation
SCDD partnered with the National Project SEARCH team at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital to measure and evaluate the long-term impact of Project SEARCH on employment outcomes for youth and young adults with IDD. Analysis of longitudinal outcome data indicates that Project SEARCH not only prepares participants to enter the workforce, but that program graduates are successfully maintaining employment over time. Read more about the evaluation's findings.
The B. Thomas Golisano Foundation brought Project SEARCH® to the Greater Rochester Area and provided the essential funding to develop local partnerships. The NYS Developmental Disability Planning Council and the Administration on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities provided funding to support the initial coordination and expansion of Project SEARCH® across New York State.