Project SEARCH
Emily Ward Speer has served as a Job Developer at Project SEARCH since June 2015, where responsibilities have included roles as a Skills Trainer/Job Coach, Supported Employment professional, and Instructor/Coordinator. Prior to this position, Emily held an internship in Educational Programming at the Clinton Foundation from May 2014 to August 2014. Emily earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from Hendrix College, graduating in 2015.
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Project SEARCH
Project SEARCH was developed at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, a research environment that fosters visionary thinking and innovation. It all began 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, which involved complex and systematic tasks such as stocking supply cabinets. As a starting point, Erin presented her ideas to Susie Rutkowski, then the special education director at Great Oaks Career Campuses. Erin and Susie formed a partnership that was instantaneous, and together they launched Project SEARCH. Since its inception, Project SEARCH has grown from a single program site at Cincinnati Children's to over 600 sites across the United States, Canada, England, Scotland, Ireland, Wales, Portugal, Iceland, New Zealand and Australia. Project SEARCH's primary objective is to secure competitive employment for people with disabilities.