About Project SEARCH Stemilt

Project SEARCH is a 10 month employment preparation program for young adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities who are entering their last year of school. Interns participate in three internships to explore a variety of career paths and are completely immersed into the workplace at Stemilt. This immersion facilitates a seamless combination of classroom instruction, career exploration, and hands-on training through worksite rotations as well as allowing interns to gain experience working in a variety of settings. The focus is teaching interns employability skills with the program culminating in individualized job development. The goal is for interns to gain competitive employment.

Project SEARCH was first developed in 1996 at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center to provide competitive employment for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Today, there are over 700 programs in 10 countries. In 2022, Project SEARCH was replicated in Wenatchee, WA through collaboration between Stemilt Growers, Eastmont School District, Chelan-Douglas Developmental Disabilities Program, Division of Vocational Rehabilitation, Developmental Disabilities Administration and Link Transit.  

PROGRAM ENTRANCE REQUIREMENTS: The Project SEARCH application process takes place each spring. Student applicants must also meet the following requirements for consideration:

• Qualify for Special Education services
• Be between 18 and 21 years old
• Be eligible for vocational rehabilitation
• Maintain appropriate behavior and social skills
• Have basic communication skills
• Take directions from the supervisor
• Be independent about personal hygiene, toileting and feeding skills
• Be willing to access public transportation (Link Transit, Link Plus)
• Be willing to make a commitment to competitive employment upon program completion

Contact Project SEARCH

Michelle Sadewasser, Transition Coordinator,  (509) 888-1276, sadewasserm@eastmont206.org 

Tina Gorman, Transition Specialist, (509) 888-1277, gormanc@eastmont206.org 

Please visit the international Project SEARCH website for more information. 

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