UAMS Celebrates 12 Project SEARCH® Graduates
| May 31, 2017 | UAMS applauded the hard work and dedication of its 12 Project SEARCH® interns during a May 24 graduation ceremony, held in the Jackson T. Stephens Spine & Neurosciences Institute.
UAMS Project SEARCH is a job-training program that helps young adults with disabilities develop independent living and working skills.
“This class of interns embraced this experience and their enthusiasm never flagged as they tackled new challenges and gained new skills in the process,” said Chancellor Dan Rahn, M.D. “We are grateful to our Project SEARCH partners who provided the education and resources the interns needed to succeed — while they were at UAMS and now as they move forward to join the workforce.”
For nine months, the 12 interns worked in 22 departments around UAMS, including the Fitness Center, Library, Radiology, Human Resources, Parking Operations, Central Supply, Engineering and Operations, and Nutrition Services. They also attended classes that taught them valuable life skills.
The UAMS Project SEARCH program is a partnership with the Little Rock-based nonprofit ACCESS® Group, Inc., and Arkansas Rehabilitation Services, a division of the Arkansas Department of Career Education. The program, the first of its kind at an Arkansas university and the first in central Arkansas, was modeled after one started at the Children’s Hospital Medical Center in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Since its beginning in 2013, UAMS Project SEARCH has graduated nearly 50 young adults, helping them secure employment at such businesses as UAMS, Dillard’s Inc., Arkansas Children’s Hospital, CHI St. Vincent, Fox Ridge Senior Living Center, Maverick Transportation, the Jim Dailey Fitness Center and Texas Roadhouse.
Some of this year’s interns have been hired at Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen, Simmons Foods, Dillard’s Distribution Center and Arkansas Pediatric Facility.
Tammy Simmons, the executive director of ACCESS, urged the graduates to see that “employment means more than just a job or a paycheck. It’s a life-changer. It means that you’re part of the community and you have a purpose each day.”
Alan McClain, commissioner of Arkansas Rehabilitation Services, which funds Project SEARCH, applauded the interns’ contributions to UAMS.
“You’ve impacted the culture of UAMS, and your colleagues here will never be the same,” he said.
Carolyn Prickett, whose son Matthew was one of the graduating interns, said that when Matthew was diagnosed with a developmental disability she and her husband had no idea what kind of life he would have.
“Thirty-four years ago, the opportunities for people with developmental disabilities were limited to say the least,” she said, adding that she and her husband decided early on they wanted to enable their son to live as independently as possible.
Through the years, thanks to “good people who saw Matthew’s gifts rather than his limitations,” he has been able to achieve so much.
Prickett thanked the “UAMS leadership for accepting the challenge of hosting this program. It is because of your willingness to open your campus that these interns have been able to fulfill their dreams of employment.”
She also thanked and congratulated the Project SEARCH Class of 2017.
“You are remarkable young people who have overcome a lot of obstacles to get to this day. You have shown everyone just how much can be accomplished by the combination of good teaching and hard work,” she said. “Some people may think I’m prejudiced, but I believe that you are some of the bravest, most determined and generally awesome people in the world.”
The graduating interns took the stage to thank their families, their UAMS colleagues, Arkansas Rehabilitation Services, ACCESS and the Project SEARCH team for helping them realize their dreams.
“Walt Disney once said all of our dreams can come true if we have the courage to pursue them,” said Samuel Langston. “Project SEARCH has helped me pursue my dreams of being independent while having a disability. It helped me become capable of accomplishing things I didn’t see myself doing anytime soon.”
Savion Battles thanked his family, as well as the families of his class members, “for helping us grow as a group. If it wasn’t for you, we wouldn’t be here today.”
Tyler Price thanked his UAMS co-workers for teaching him how to fix a bathroom stall sensor and repair a doorknob. The latter skill could come in handy if his mom locks her keys in the car and he needs to pick a lock, he said.
For William Stevens, working at UAMS was the realization of a life goal.
“While growing up, I always wanted to work here,” he said. “Being accepted by UAMS, ACCESS and Arkansas Rehabilitation Services meant a lot to me.”
During his time at Project SEARCH, Stevens teamed up with Jermaine Moore from the Class of 2015 for an accessibility project in which they evaluated the bathrooms around campus to determine which ones were wheelchair and scooter accessible. The two have been invited to present their project at the Project SEARCH International Conference this summer in Pennsylvania’s Pocono Mountains.
As the festivities concluded, Rahn had one final message for the graduates.
“All of our graduates have thanked us for what we did for them. I want to thank them for everything that they did for us.”