Autism Acceptance Month: Project SEARCH provides training and internships for individuals with disabilities
COLLEGE STATION, Texas (KBTX) -During Autism Acceptance Month, Baylor Scott & White is highlighting those involved in Project SEARCH.
Project SEARCH is a program that helps young adults with disabilities learn workforce skills and ultimately helps them get a job.
“I happen to work here as an intern here at the hospital at the sterile processing department in the lower levels,” Vaughan Evers said.
Evers is a hard worker. Through Project SEARCH at Baylor Scott & White in College Station, he’s folding linens, sterilizing equipment and making sure new families in the NICU have everything they need from the Happy Wheels cart.
“We load it up with gifts for families who recently had babies,” Evers said. “Those gifts include food, drinks, toiletries, toothbrush, toothpaste.”
These tasks and moments with patients help interns develop personal and professional skills.
“We do class every day for about an hour,” Beth Sherry, Project SEARCH Instructor, said. “We are talking about independent living skills, soft skills and then we spend a lot of time on employability skills.”
Evers says thanks to Project SEARCH, he now sees having autism as an asset.
“It helps me become more vocal, makes me more like a leader,” Evers said.
“Seeing them blossom from a child into a young adult is really the most rewarding thing, knowing that they are going to be able to go out into the world and support themselves,” Sherry said.
Graduates from Project SEARCH have gone on to work at businesses all across the community. Some even stay at Baylor Scott & white.
“When we are hiring people with disabilities, everybody benefits,” Sherry said.
As for Evers, he is actively looking for the right job for him.
“#Vaughan for hire.”
