EDITORIAL: Project SEARCH helps students with employment options

Nov. 4--Enid Public Schools has joined Inte­gris and Oklahoma Depart­­ment of Rehabilitation Services on a tr­emen­dous program to help students with disabilities learn valuable work skills.

National Center for Disability Education and Training and Community Development Support Association also help with Project SEARCH.

Instead of taking classes at the high school, around 10 district seniors with learning disabilities are enrolled in the program, taught by an EPS teacher, in a classroom at Integris Bass Baptist Health Center.

They learn employability skills, receive job training and undergo internships, all to guide them into meaningful jobs they want and that might otherwise be out of reach.

Students with any type of developmental disability are welcome in the program, but it is designed to serve those who would struggle in pursuing further education beyond their high school years.

On top of class work, Project SEARCH students go through three 10-week internships during the year with whatever community business they want, provided they apply, interview and are accepted.

"We want to meet their dreams and goals. It's important for us to have them in non-traditional roles for special needs individuals," Project SEARCH coordinator Crissie Nixon said. "We don't want to have everyone standing at the fryer at McDonald's, we want to have them out there doing jobs they want to do, that people with disabilities maybe are not typically given."

Those who go through the program can find work in a wide range of fields, from hospitality, manufacturing, forestry, warehousing, childcare and more, although hospitals still remain some of the best hiring partners.

They also offer some of the best environments for students to learn in, and plenty of internship opportunities cooking, cleaning, running the gift shop, assisting nurses and doctors, most anything needed for day-to-day operation that doesn't require a degree.

"We have hired several of its graduates here at Integris," said Tania Warnock, marketing project lead for Integris Bass Baptist Health Center, "and I know that many other local businesses have as well. This is truly a partnership that benefits our entire community, but most importantly it teaches job skills that translate, often immediately, to employment for the kids that participate in it."

Project SEARCH is an excellent program that helps some deserving students get training they need and can use once they are done with school.

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