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'I Like Pay Day Too': Special Needs Students Receive Job and Internship Training at Project SEARCH

Project SEARCH's new school year gets under way this week. It focuses on communication, attitude and overcoming fears.

HIGH POINT, N.C. — This week marks the arrival of the newest students at 600 North Elm Street in High Point, N.C. The Wake Forest Baptist Health Medical Center will be home base for the next few months.

Just after 10:00 a.m., Project SEARCH begins orientation. At the front of the room is Deborah Steele, a member of the organizational development team at Wake Forest Baptist Health.

"We leave our problems at the door, right?" she said. All eight heads in the class nod in agreement. Every member here knows the importance of coping with frustration. It's a mantra she hopes the class remembers when they leave the building.

"This is all for your benefit," she said.

Project SEARCH is a transition-to-work development program for high school graduates with special needs. By focusing on training, soft skills and job hunting techniques, it's graduates have found jobs across the Triad. 

"I like it a lot. It gave me more experience on how to work, and how to fill out applications," says Chairann McQueen, a 2012 graduate, "and I like pay-day too."

McQueen works in the laundry room at the Wake Forest Baptist Health Hospital across the street from the medical center. He's smiling ear to ear as he watches the current newbies interact at lunch. McQueen says he has always been a positive guy, but it was not always so easy to come out of his shell.

"I was nervous when I first started," McQueen said, "but now when I come to work it's like, 'Lights, Camera, Action!' I'm like Jay Leno!" 

"A lot of times, they're nervous, and want someone to be there to hold their hand when they first start," said Brandi Pittman, this class' teacher, "but we're here to train them, and then eventually step back and let them be independent."

Pittman is going on her seventh year as a part of the program. Tuesday, the class worked through orientation, toured the Wake Forest Baptist Health Medical Center and did team-building activities centered around communication.

The highlight of the day:

Students were tasked with guiding their blindfolded classmates to a water fountain through a hallway filled with obstacles. The game emphasized important communication lessons useful in and out of the workplace.

"It's really interesting to see how each person reacts to different things," Pittman said, "some students struggled with the sensory impairment of not being able to see."

"The goal here is to give them those tools that will help them succeed when they leave. We'll talk about it. So far, I think we're off to a good start," she said.

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