LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX NEWS) — Project Search, a nine-month immersive internship program at UK Health Care for high school seniors with intellectual and developmental disabilities, held its commencement ceremony Tuesday morning.
10 high school seniors completed the transition-to-work program, which gives students hands-on training to prepare them for employment.
"It's an event that we treasure every year," said Fayette County Public Schools Program Director of Competitive and Supportive Employment Rachel Baker said.
UK Health Care became the first academic medical center in Kentucky to serve as a site for the international Project Search program in 2023.
"We realized that individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities are an untapped resource in the community and we have a huge divide amongst those who are employed without disabilities and those who are not," said UK Healthcare's Chief Health Disparities Officer Tukea Talbert.
Educators said the program is building a foundation for inclusion in Kentucky's workforce.
"It builds a foundation in Kentucky that everybody does count, everybody does matter, and it's an opportunity for businesses to understand that there's all kinds of individuals out there with all kinds of gifts and they all come in different and unique ways," said Baker.
Baker said immersing students in a real work environment unlocks potential that a traditional classroom setting cannot.
"Just immersing them in a work environment just shows you what they're so capable of doing outside the four walls of the typical classroom," said Baker.
Educators added that the program's impact extends beyond the graduates themselves.
"I think it enriches our community when we look at differences in individuals and in groups of people in our community," said Talbert.
