Project SEARCH supports students with disabilities

Project SEARCH Bucks (County) is an internship program for young adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities, providing them employment experiences through a total immersion in the workplace. On Tuesday May 31, the Bucks County Intermediate Unit (Bucks IU) hosted a banquet to honor the successful completion of the first year of the initiative. The County of Bucks Administrative Offices and Justice Center have been the host business location for the program with their many divisions and offices providing the students a wide variety of work experiences from technology services to clerical to building maintenance.

Dr. Mark Hoffman, executive director of the Bucks IU, expressed appreciation to the Bucks County commissioners and District Attorney’s Office stating, “The partnership Project SEARCH has forged between the Bucks County Offices and the Bucks IU has created an optimal educational experience for our students for which we are sincerely grateful.”

Additional supports and guidance for Project SEARCH Bucks are provided by the Bucks County Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Programs and the Pennsylvania Office of Vocational Rehabilitation (OVR).

The banquet, held at The Bucks Club in Jamison Pennsylvania, included speakers Kathleen Brown, director of developmental services for OVR, and County of Bucks Commissioners Robert Harvie and Diane Marseglia. Patrick Hagan, a Project SEARCH student intern, provided an insightful reflection on his experience with the program. Student interns ended the evening with their personal thanks to their mentors from the various offices in which they had work experiences.

Details on Project SEARCH Bucks can be found at https://www.bucksiu.org/child-student-services/transition-services-and-programs.