Project Search in Coffee County, Tennessee aims to increase the number of individuals with developmental and intellectual disabilities being employed. The Americans with Disabilities Act bans discrimination in the workplace against persons with disabilities. However, these individuals have maintained relatively stable employment rates for many years. There is evidence that many individuals with intellectual or developmental disabilities don’t understand the ADA and some companies still hold negative attitudes towards disabled people. Project search’s goal is to help individuals with developmental and intellectual disabilities improve their job skills, their employment rates and their quality of living. This includes improving employer attitudes towards these people and their collaboration.
Population & location of interest
Coffee County residents will be targeted by Project Search. Manchester will host the initiative, while Unity Medical Center in Nashville will train on-site.
Project Goals
Our first goal is to improve the employment rates of program participants.
Objective 2: To improve the quality of life among program participants
Ziel 3: To improve the employer’s perception of hiring and working with people with intellectual or developmental disabilities.
Objectives
Goal 1: Program participants will be able to use the website for job search through classroom training and internships.
Ziel 2: Increase the members’ participation in the workforce
Objective 3: To improve quality of life, the program is to be implemented.
This initiative will help employers to have a better perception of the importance of working with people with developmental and intellectual disabilities. It is its fourth goal.
Programm Design
This initiative aims to increase the number of individuals with intellectual disabilities being employed. Two components of the curriculum are (1) classroom training on employability skills; (2) three months internship at Unit Medical Center.
Evaluation Plan
External and internal evaluators will evaluate Project search. Both the internal and external evaluators will be chosen by national Project search organizations. The grant-money-paying or recruited external evaluators will not be employed.