Contact:
Jennifer Kuper
Director of Communications
[email protected]
571-946-0020
Manassas, VA (06/19/2024) – Didlake Inc., a nonprofit that connects people with disabilities to employment and community engagement opportunities, announces the graduation of the 2023-2024 Project SEARCH internship class at Sentara Leigh Hospital in Norfolk. The five graduates are students with disabilities from the Southeastern Cooperative Educational Program (SECEP) Public School Consortium in their last year of high school. The graduation was held on May 31.
Sentara hosts Project SEARCH, an international program that prepares people with disabilities aged 18 to 21 for success in competitive integrated employment. The Project SEARCH program at Sentara is a collaborative effort between Didlake, Sentara, SECEP and Virginia Department for Aging and Rehabilitative Services (DARS).
As the employment services partner at Sentara and three other Project SEARCH sites, Didlake provides on-site skills training and, upon successful graduation, one-on-one job coaching to help interns find employment. Throughout the nine-month program, interns gain professional development by expanding on their respective skill sets and seeking support from staff.
“Over the past school year, our interns from the SECEP have gained valuable skills and experience through their internships at Sentara Leigh Hospital,” said Frank Chalker, Employment Specialist III, Didlake. “Under the guidance of Ms. Jessie Antoine, the SECEP teacher, and the supportive SECEP staff, along with the Volunteer Coordinator, Ms. Veronica Burnett, and the departments’ staff where the interns were placed, the Project SEARCH program has been a success.”
The interns completed rotations in various departments within Environmental Services, Nourishment, Food Services, Telemetry, the Transition Unit, and the PASS Clinic. The first rotations started at the end of September, and the interns completed three rotations, about three months each, throughout the year.
“Throughout the year, the interns have exemplified growth as they learned new skills and increased their confidence within each rotation,” said Stacy Chapman, Director of Employment Services. “The success of Project SEARCH would not be possible without our partnership with DARS, SECEP and Sentara, who have worked together to prepare interns for the workforce.”
About Didlake®
Didlake is a nonprofit rehabilitative services organization headquartered in Manassas, Virginia. It was founded in 1965 to create opportunities for people with disabilities through services that connect them to employment, education and the community. Through its Day Support, Employment Services, and Workforce Support and Development programs, Didlake serves over 2,000 people with disabilities annually throughout Virginia, Maryland, and Washington, D.C. Didlake is licensed by the Commonwealth of Virginia, accredited by CARF, is CIMS-GB-certified, and proudly serves the nation through the AbilityOne® Program.
