Kelly Brubaker

Project SEARCH Intern, Dow

When Kelly Brubaker began her Project SEARCH internship, she wasn’t sure what to expect. Before long, however, she was making valuable contributions at Dow Health Services, while also learning the kind of workplace skills that will prepare her for her future career. Just as Kelly has benefited from this real-world, on-the-job experience, so have the Dow employees she’s worked alongside, showing them how her potential outmatches her disability in every way.

Kelly Brubaker

Talent Lifecycle Specialist, Dow

Rhonda Thomas, the business host liaison for Project SEARCH, wasn’t even halfway through her proposal for a training program for people with disabilities before Dow’s leadership said yes. As the mother of a special needs child herself, Rhonda says, “My passion is Project SEARCH.” And her passion has paid dividends. Since launching at Dow in 2016, Project SEARCH has become undeniable proof that inclusive work environments are not just good for business, they can be life-changing to those who work there as well.

Maryellen Daston, Ph.D.

Project SEARCH Program Specialist, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital

People with intellectual or developmental disabilities face real barriers to employment, due to the assumption they’re incapable of succeeding in the workplace. Maryellen Daston, a program specialist with Project SEARCH, is determined to turn this perception around. Through Project SEARCH, Maryellen works with student interns to give them the skills and the experience they need to answer a question taken for granted by so many others: what do you want to be when you grow up?

5

Dow locations participate in Project SEARCH globally

30+

Dow work groups have participated in the program to date

~86%

program graduate employment rate