Milan, 20, started his journey to the world of employment by joining one of our Career Camps in 2021. Through this camp, Milan was able to learn what it took to go from student to employee; developing soft job skills, building his resume, and understanding the characteristics of a successful employee. Milan’s Autism affects his life in a variety of ways-especially when it comes to his attention. While Milan considered this one of his weaknesses, through career camp he realized that his many talents and natural skills far outweigh this detail. After successfully completing camp at the end of 2021, Milan was ready to take the leap and start his job hunt… and that’s when he was guided to Rita’s Italian Ice by his case manager at CIL through the Aspire to Hire program.
Rita’s Italian Ice, located in Lake Buena Vista, is owned by Chip and Andrew-two individuals who happen to have disabilities! While Rita’s Italian Ice is a franchise with many similarities, this location is unique in a very special way. Chip and Andrew know personally how difficult it can be for people with disabilities to find meaningful employment, so that’s why they have a hiring initiative to bring individuals with disabilities to join their team!
Since Milan started at Rita’s in January of 2022, he has quickly excelled at his very first job. While not every day is perfect, the team at Rita’s huddle around Milan and are a constant source of encouragement and positivity. Milan is thrilled to finally have a job where he can showcase his talents and have the opportunity to brighten people’s day through the sweetness of delicious italian ice
March celebrates National Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month, since it was proclaimed by President Reagan in 1987 with the purpose of “[raising] public awareness of the needs and the potential of Americans with developmental disabilities” and to provide the “encouragement and opportunities they need to lead productive lives and to achieve their full potential.”
Navigating entry into the workforce as a young adult can be a daunting and challenging task, especially during a global pandemic. Having a disability of any sort can make that process even more difficult. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, In 2020, 17.9 percent of persons with a disability were employed, compared to the 61.8 percent of people employed who did not have a disability.
Project SEARCH is working to change that. Developed at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center as a business-led, one-year work-preparation program for young people, ages 18 to 22 with developmental disabilities, it now has 600 job sites. One of them is Lakeland Regional Health Medical Center, where the program is in its fifth year, and boasts a higher placement rate than the national average for Project SEARCH programs.
Participants are enrolled while transitioning from high school to work. The hallmark of Project SEARCH is total workplace immersion, which facilitates a seamless combination of classroom instruction, career exploration, and hands-on training. Project SEARCH’s primary objective is to secure competitive employment for every program participant.
“Project SEARCH is a transition program that believes in the potential that our young adults have. We strive on focusing all the abilities that they possess instead of pointing out what they don’t. It provides them with an opportunity to become employed and independent if they desire,”says Mildred Roldan, Employment Specialist with the Center for Independent Living in Central Florida (now known as CIL).
Madison Lewis, who started in the Project SEARCH program at Lakeland Regional Health in 2020, finds great joy in having an official position as a Sterile Processing Technician.
Madison Lewis,19, and Tyler Baranowski,18, are two of the 6 current participants in Project SEARCH at Lakeland Regional Health. They both began the program in August of last year and will graduate with their classmates this April. Additionally, both have been offered full-time positions at Lakeland Regional Health as Sterile Processing Technicians- an opportunity that neither Lewis nor Baranowski had expected would happen at this point in their lives.
The hospital setting of Project SEARCH also serves as an opportunity for student participants to grow socially within the workplace setting.
Tyler Baranowski, 18, began his Project SEARCH journey alongside Madison and has recently accepted a position of Sterile Processing Technician at Lakeland Regional Health.
“I’m usually the quiet person that just sits and does the job; nothing more, nothing less. But after a little while, knowing the people in the departments I’ve been in, I’ve opened up and made friends and still talk to some of the people in the departments I’m not in anymore,” says Baranowski.
Sandy Perlewitz, Project SEARCH Facilitator, Polk County Public Schools, has been involved with the program at Lakeland Regional Health since its inception and has seen firsthand the impact of the program on participants: “It’s a unique, hands-on job skill training program with total immersion in the workplace environment. Sometimes the students come in with a low level of self-esteem, but they gain confidence and self-advocacy throughout the program. They learn to answer interview questions with self-assurance and learn that they have what it takes to be successful,” Perlewitz describes.
According to the staff at Lakeland Regional Health, Project SEARCH not only benefits the students but also the hospital that had welcomed the students as their own. Tiffany Hanson, Lakeland Regional Health Recruiter and Project SEARCH Coordinator notes that “…several departments value the students and the positive attitudes that they bring. They [the students] display an appreciation for the opportunity and commit to doing their best each day.”
As graduation approaches, Madison and Tyler reflect on the last seven months in the program, and the opportunities that they never envisioned for themselves:
“This has been life-changing for me,” says Lewis. “I am able to just speak up for myself… I never thought that I would have the chance to actually work a job before applying for it,” says Baranowski.
The personal and professional growth that has occurred during the program is obvious to the parents of both Madison and Tyler as well.
“In the last year I have witnessed a huge change in Madison’s attitude, organization, follow-through, and her sense of responsibility. She has matured significantly over the last several months and I feel she will take the lessons she has learned throughout this program and continue to apply them to many areas of her life, especially in the workforce,” says Laura Lewis, mother of Madison.
“He is feeling more confident about his future. He has discovered career paths that he didn’t know were possible,” adds Tyler’s mother, Lori Baranowski.
CIL currently oversees 2 Project SEARCH sites in Central Florida with plans to expand to a third site by Fall of 2021. As Project SEARCH grows and finds new homes in Florida communities, more young adults like Madison and Tyler will discover their potential in the workforce.
Bobbie Smith is always on the go. After spending 10 years as a mechanic in the United States Army and another 20 working for the United States Postal Service, Bobbie was forced to retire due to developing prostate cancer. Bobbie’s life was saved through radiation therapy, but the toll on his body was extensive. His back required a spinal fusion and due to bad circulation from his diabetes he lost a portion of his foot.
Today, Bobbie uses a motorized chair to get around his home and outside. However, the stairs to his home presented an enormous obstacle to getting in and out. “I’m not really a home body. I want to explore, stay busy, participate in activities, and give back to the community,” Bobbie says. “But because I need a chair to get around I can’t get out of my house without help.” Bobbie’s neighbors, family, and roommates all pitch in to help him in and out of his home, however they aren’t always available to help. “My daughter has to take off work to help me in and out to go to the doctor,” Bobbie says. “If she’s not working, then she’s not making money so it’s twice as bad.” Bobbie says he wants to keep as much independence as he can. “I say keep because once you lose it it’s so hard to get it back. A ramp would help me so much to not lose that.”
With the help of ABC Prosthetics & Orthotics and their volunteer group “Limb-It-Less,” Bobbie got his ramp on February 9, 2019. Made from aluminum, this ramp will last even longer and be better able to withstand the wet Florida climate. Now it is so much easier for Bobbie to maneuver in and out of his home! “It’s going great… the ramp is tremendous!” Bobbie said. “I have so much freedom of movement and feel much more independent.”
When Latonja came to CIL in 2015, she had one simple goal: to find a job. Something that sounds so simple to other people was an uphill challenge for her. Why? Because Latonja is Deaf. Just like many of the people that CIL helps in the Aspire to Hire program, her disability made it extremely difficult to not just find employment, but employers that treated her with the respect and dignity that she deserves. Individuals who are Deaf, like Latonja, face unique hurdles in the employment process-from the application, to transportation, to actual employment. While in the program, her case manager was there to help with every part of the process, which included job readiness training and pre-employment skills training. During this process, it just so happened that CIL was in need of a janitorial staff member to join their team, and actually hired Latonja to fill the role, where she is still gainfully employee.
Milan, 20, started his journey to the world of employment by joining one of our Career Camps in 2021. Through this camp, Milan was able to learn what it took to go from student to employee; developing soft job skills, building his resume, and understanding the characteristics of a successful employee. Milan’s Autism affects his life in a variety of ways-especially when it comes to his attention. While Milan considered this one of his weaknesses, through career camp he realized that his many talents and natural skills far outweigh this detail. After successfully completing camp at the end of 2021, Milan was ready to take the leap and start his job hunt… and that’s when he was guided to Rita’s Italian Ice by his case manager at CIL through the Aspire to Hire program.
Rita’s Italian Ice, located in Lake Buena Vista, is owned by Chip and Andrew-two individuals who happen to have disabilities! While Rita’s Italian Ice is a franchise with many similarities, this location is unique in a very special way. Chip and Andrew know personally how difficult it can be for people with disabilities to find meaningful employment, so that’s why they have a hiring initiative to bring individuals with disabilities to join their team!
