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  • About
    • Mission/Vision
    • History
    • Board of Directors
    • Staff Leadership
    • Contact
    • Work at The Arc of Howard County!
    • Career Opportunities
  • Who We Are
    • Profiles
      • Donors
      • Employees
      • Employers
      • Families
      • Volunteers
      • Awards of Excellence
      • Past Winners – Celebration of Excellence
  • Get Involved
    • Make a Gift
      • 1961 Legacy Society
      • Donate Your Car
      • In Honor and Memorial Gifts
      • Other Ways to Support Us
      • Silver Arc Legacy Fund
    • Employ
    • Membership
    • Advocate
      • People Power of Howard County
    • Volunteer
    • Businesses
  • How We Help
    • Community Integration Services
    • Supported Employment Services
      • Employer Partners
      • Project SEARCH
    • Community and Family Services
      • Residential Services
      • Personal Supports
      • Respite Care [Pulled Down from Website-6/30/2021]
    • Project SEARCH
  • Events
    • The 25th Annual Chocolate Ball
    • 2023 Fall Golf Classic
    • The Arc of Howard County’s 2023 Celebration of Excellence
    • Go to Events Calendar for Fundraisers and Events
  • News & Media
    • COVID-19/Coronavirus Information
    • Latest News
    • Weather Updates
    • Sign Up for Updates
    • Publications: Annual Report 2020-2021
    • Annual Appeal Letter: This Is What Dedication Looks Like!
  • Resources
    • Resources for People Supported by The Arc of Howard County
    • Family Guide: Services & Supports
    • Coronavirus: What Is It and What Can I Do?
    • Information & Referral
    • Glossary
    • FAQs

Project SEARCH

The Project SEARCH High School Transition Program is a one-year internship program for students with disabilities in their last year of high school, and DDA and DORS eligible. It is for students whose goal is competitive employment. The program is conducted in a workplace setting, where total immersion facilitates the teaching and learning process as well as the acquisition of employability and marketable work skills. Students participate in three internships to explore a variety of career paths. Students in the program work with a team that includes their family, a special education teacher and The Arc of Howard County to create an employment goal and support the student during this important transition from school to work.

About Project SEARCH

In 1996, Erin Riehle was the Director of the Emergency Department at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, and was frustrated with the high turnover rate in entry-level jobs involving restocking supplies. While working to identify a solution to the high turnover rate, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital adopted a major diversity initiative, taking a policy statement from the American College of Healthcare Executives, which reads, “Healthcare organizations must lead their communities in increasing employment opportunities for qualified persons with disabilities and advocate on behalf of their employment to other organizations.” Erin wondered if people with disabilities could fill these entry-level jobs. With an idea in mind, Erin turned to Great Oaks Career Campuses and the Hamilton County Board of Developmental Disability Services and asked if this job service was a possibility. A partnership evolved, and together these organizations filled a handful of jobs in Cincinnati Children’s Emergency Department; later this concept evolved into the comprehensive program model, now called Project SEARCH.

Since its beginnings in Cincinnati nearly twenty years ago, the Project SEARCH program has been launched at more than 514 sites in the US and 60 in other countries.

Project SEARCH Howard County

Project SEARCH Howard County was launched in 2014 and is the ninth site in Maryland. The inaugural class of 12 participants completed the year-long internship on June 9, 2015.

The Project SEARCH community partners in Howard County include:

  • Howard County Government – Host Business
  • Howard County Public School System
  • The Arc of Howard County
  • Howard County Autism Society
  • Maryland State Department of Education Division of Rehabilitation Services (DORS)
  • Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory

For more information, please contact:

  • Project SEARCH Howard Program Manager Eliza Hunter:
    • Email: ehunter@archoward.org
    • Call: 410-730-0638 ext. 275

How We Help
  • Community Integration Services
  • Supported Employment Services
    • Employer Partners
    • Project SEARCH
      • For Prospective Students
      • Project SEARCH in the News
      • Project SEARCH Success Stories
  • Community and Family Services
  • Project SEARCH
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Arc of Howard County Logo
  • About
    • Mission/Vision
    • History
    • Board of Directors
    • Staff Leadership
    • Contact
    • Work at The Arc of Howard County!
    • Career Opportunities
  • Who We Are
    • Profiles
      • Past Winners – Celebration of Excellence
  • Get Involved
    • Make a Gift
    • Employ
    • Membership
    • Advocate
    • Volunteer
    • Businesses
  • How We Help
    • Community Integration Services
    • Supported Employment Services
    • Community and Family Services
    • Project SEARCH
  • Events
    • The Arc of Howard County’s 2022 Celebration of Excellence
    • The 25th Annual Chocolate Ball
    • 2023 Fall Golf Classic
    • Legislative Town Hall: November 10, 2021
    • COVID-19 Vaccine Town Hall
  • News & Media
    • COVID-19/Coronavirus Information
    • Latest News
    • Weather Updates
    • Sign Up for Updates
    • Publications: Annual Report 2020-2021
    • Annual Appeal Letter: There’s No Place Like Home!
  • Resources
    • Resources for People Supported by The Arc of Howard County
    • Family Guide: Services & Supports.
    • Coronavirus: What Is It and What Can I Do?
    • Information & Referral
    • Glossary
    • FAQs

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