Project SEARCH empowers students with disabilities after high school graduation

DENVER, Colo. – October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month, and a partnership between Saint Joseph Hospital and Denver Public Schools is meeting a critical need in the community.

This year, six Denver Public Schools interns will begin a year-long internship at Saint Joseph Hospital as part of Project SEARCH, a program aimed at providing hands-on training and internships for students with disabilities.

Ensuring that an endless supply of latex gloves, masks and other medical supplies is readily available – it’s a crucial task in any hospital.

Arturo Villalobos, one of the interns, ensures that the essentials are ready to use. As he walks, he runs his fingers over the edges of the shelves.

“This is the closet. I open the shelf and as you can see, it’s in Braille,” Arturo Villalobos said as he restocks a supply cupboard on the hospital floor.

“I am blind and partially sighted. That’s how I was born,” Villalobos explains.

The six interns are part of Denver Public Schools’ Transition to Independence Program, which provides services to support students ages 18 to 21 with disabilities who need additional support as they transition to the next stage of life.

“The environment that Saint Joseph has created has really been so nurturing and nurturing – students are able to grow in confidence, and, you know, develop those soft skills in addition to the work skills that they’re building,” said Project SEARCH instructor Mike Kenneally.

The interns learn about many roles within the hospital environment, including spending a few days immersed in the simulation lab.

But in a normal day-to-day practice, they do everything from patient transportation to nutritional services.

The one-year internship not only gives these students valuable work skills, but also increases their self-confidence.

Jonathan Dumas is one of the lead instructor specialists for DPS’s Transitions Program, but before that he was a classroom teacher – and Arturo just happened to be one of his former students.

He told Denver7 that the change in his personality was incredible.

“Arturo now navigates here independently with Access-a-Ride and asks questions. He feels at home here. So really just his growth from feeling comfortable and safe and being able to take the next steps to grow,” Dumas described.

The folks at Project SEARCH tell Denver7 that this results in a 72% employment rate for students participating in the program.

Many remain in their positions after the internship is over.

Chuck Ault, manager of Saint Joseph Hospital’s community health program, told Denver7 that their impact on the hospital already exceeds the typical job description.

“You say, ‘Okay, here are six interns who are really going to benefit from this,’ and what you’re not prepared for is how much these six individuals have transformed the culture of this place.”

The internship may only last a year, but it doesn’t stop there. Once it’s over, the six interns will be paired with a counselor from the Colorado Department of Vocational Rehabilitation, who will be there to ensure their transition to the working world goes smoothly.