{"id":2337,"date":"2009-08-04T05:54:15","date_gmt":"2009-08-04T10:54:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/utnews.utoledo.edu\/?p=2337"},"modified":"2010-01-07T11:48:42","modified_gmt":"2010-01-07T16:48:42","slug":"project-search-still-at-home-at-university","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/08_04_2009\/project-search-still-at-home-at-university","title":{"rendered":"Project SEARCH still at home at University"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Josh<\/a>

Josh Hoye works on the files in the UT Treasurer's Office.<\/p><\/div>\n

Josh Hoye is a Project SEARCH graduate who has exceeded many expectations.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe day he walked in, he won our hearts over. I\u2019ve never seen any student give 110 percent like he did,\u201d said Sue Royer, loan compliance officer in the UT Treasurer\u2019s Office, where Hoye was an intern in 2007-08.<\/p>\n

Project SEARCH, Students Exploring Alternative Resources at Children\u2019s Hospital, aids high school seniors with disabilities to transition into the work force through three unpaid internship rotations.<\/p>\n

After graduating from Project SEARCH, Hoye began volunteering once a week in the Treasurer\u2019s Office. He then attended the Academy of Technical Studies in Toledo to keep his social and clerical skills sharp for the Treasurer\u2019s Office and future job opportunities.<\/p>\n

Project SEARCH was started in 1996 at Cincinnati Children\u2019s Hospital Medical Center and came to The University of Toledo in 2007. The program is run by Penta Career Center, UT, the Ohio Rehabilitation Services Commission, and the Lucas County and Wood County boards of mental retardation and developmental disabilities.<\/p>\n

The program\u2019s employment rate was at 75 percent last year, according to Amanda Ratliff, Project SEARCH instructor.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s exciting to see the students\u2019 growth,\u201d Ratliff said. \u201cThey come in for work experience and leave with a complete portfolio and completion certificates and go into an interview feeling prepared.\u201d<\/p>\n

The internships prepare students for entry-level jobs in restaurants, nursing homes, banquet centers and other places. Ratliff said that it\u2019s the students\u2019 interests and aptitudes that are used to determine the right job placement for their three internships.<\/p>\n

Stephanie Blausey, director of loans, special accounts and cashiering in the UT Treasurer\u2019s Office, jumped at the opportunity for the office to host and mentor interns from Project SEARCH. Blausey said that until people work with students who have disabilities, they do not know the benefits.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou treat everyone equal. You become more aware, more compassionate. They are people too,\u201d Blausey said.<\/p>\n

Ratliff added, \u201cIt changes the office environment, making it more understanding and caring.\u201d<\/p>\n

Students participating in Project SEARCH are given support through on-the-job coaching and work-site accommodations, which ensure that people with disabilities are treated fairly in the workplace when it comes to hiring, disciplinary actions and opportunities for career development.<\/p>\n

Ratliff said that having a job coach is important because students need more assistance in the beginning. She said that toward the end of the eight- to 11-week rotations, students only go to their coaches for questions or concerns.<\/p>\n

Royer and Blausey both agree that the program\u2019s impact goes beyond financial support and independence; it fuels students\u2019 passion for their jobs.<\/p>\n

For more information on Project SEARCH or to become a host, visit http:\/\/www.utoledo.edu\/offices\/projectscout\/home\/<\/a> <\/a>or contact Ratliff at aratliff@pentanet.k12.oh.us.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Josh Hoye, a graduate of the Project SEARCH program, continues to volunteer at the University.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":105,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2337"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/105"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2337"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2337\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2337"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2337"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.utoledo.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2337"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}