The districts’ Project SEARCH program, located at Kalahari Resorts & Conventions, offers job training and work experience for young adults with disabilities. Additionally, the program raises awareness and acceptance around disabilities in the community, GISD instructor Kraven Rowry and HISD skills trainer Kristian Davis said.
“They are capable, and they will be successful,” Davis said about Project SEARCH interns at Kalahari.
How it works
The interns work alongside Kalahari staff in the retail, food and beverage, maintenance, housekeeping and laundry departments. The program is open to young adults from age 18 to their mid-twenties who have a disability and have completed their high school credits.
From August to May, interns receive training in three different departments to build their resumes and find jobs in the community, Rowry said. Interns may cook meals to serve at the convention center, pour lattes at the Java Manjaro coffee shop, stock snacks at the souvenir shop, wipe tables at B-Lux Grill & Bar and assess signage at the Tom Foolerys Arcade.
Rowry and Davis help interns find success during and after the program through crafting resumes and practicing job interviews. As trained educators, Rowry and Davis provide interns with the accommodations they need to accomplish their goals.
The interns receive a third-party job coach to assist them with the job search process for up to 90 days after completing the program. Many interns go on to work at Kalahari following their internship, Davis said.
“By the end of the program, they are truly young adults and ready to take on a job,” she said.
Why it matters
The Project SEARCH program at Kalahari enables young adults with disabilities to become “as independent as possible,” Davis said.
Disabled adults have often been isolated to adult-living facilities, Rowry said. With necessary interventions, many disabled people can work full-time jobs, make their own money and travel independently, she said.
“We don't want any more young adults with disabilities to fall through the cracks and be a ward of the state or have to rely on other benefits if they don't have to,” Rowry said.
The program supports families who may be uncertain about their child’s future post-graduation, she said.
“We want the families to love us and know that they do have an extra layer of support even though high school is over,” Rowry said.
Put in perspective
GISD and HISD’s partnership with Kalahari has also educated the community on how to interact with and accommodate people with disabilities, Rowry said.
The program has experienced challenges with finding employers to hire its interns in the past, she said. A traditional job interview, which some disabled adults may struggle with, may not always represent how capable a candidate is, she said.
“It's the world that we're trying to coach to get ready for them, because discrimination is real,” Rowry said.
Going forward
GISD and HISD's Project SEARCH program is looking to partner with more local businesses that will hire interns with a disability, knowing they will be accompanied by a job coach to support them, Rowry said.
“I want to know who are the businesses who are willing and open,” she said. “As a community, we've gotten more tolerant. We're getting more knowledgeable that they can do more and they can be more, so we can treat them as such.”
