Cincinnati Children’s Hospital is an academic medical center, so education and research are key to its mission. In this environment of vision and innovation, Project Search was born—a remarkably successful program for training and employing people with disabilities. It started in 1996, when Erin Riehle was Director of Cincinnati Children’s Emergency Department. Erin felt that, because the hospital served individuals with developmental disabilities, it made sense that they should commit to hiring people in this group. She wondered if it would be possible to train people with developmental disabilities to fill some of the high-turnover, entry level positions in her department stocking supplies and other important tasks. Erin presented her ideas to Susie Rutkowski, a special education director from Great Oaks Career Campuses who trained people with disabilities, and Jennifer Linnabary, who worked for the Hamilton County Board of Developmental Disability Services. Erin, Susie, and Jennifer formed a partnership that was instantaneous, and together they launched Project Search.
Since its inception, Project SEARCH has grown from one original program site at Cincinnati Children's to over 200 across the United States and Canada, England, Scotland, and Australia. Project SEARCH's primary objective is to secure competitive employment for people with disabilities.