[Ed. Note: Kelsey Merkel is a University of Arizona journalism student. She wrote this story as her end-of-term project for her Reporting Public Affairs class taught by TucsonCitizen.com site administrator Mark B. Evans]

Project SEARCH intern Melissa Moore inspects white blood cells at the University of Arizona Medical CenterÕs Laboratory. (Photo by Dan Habinek)

A high-school transition program for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities is giving children in Tucson with special needs the opportunity to gain real-world working experiences before making the transition to college or employment.

Project SEARCH, now in its second full year and provided through the Pima County Joint Technical Education District, is a proven success preparing developmentally disabled students for jobs in Tucson.

Shane Dasso, 19, works Monday through Friday as a mailroom clerk at the University of Arizona Medical Center South Campus. His tasks include sorting, delivering, picking up and sending the mail. Shane has Asperger’s syndrome, or high functioning autism, and graduated from Project SEARCH in May after completing the nine-month program.

“It came on when he was just finishing eighth grade,” said Steven Dasso, Shane’s father. “He had trouble walking and started twitching really bad. He was being treated for Tourette syndrome and at first we just thought that the Tourette’s was getting worse.”

After spending weeks with different neurologists and psychiatrists in different hospitals and trying various medications and higher dosages, a psychiatrist in Phoenix finally diagnosed Shane with Asperger’s and prescribed four medications that cured his symptoms.

“It was amazing,” Steven said. “It only took about two days and we saw a remarkable difference.”

Shane never went to a regular high school after his diagnosis. The doctor told the family that he thought it better for Shane to be home-schooled. His parents chose Direct Link, Tucson Unified School District’s homebound program, for Shane’s schooling.

After three years at home, both parents and Shane’s home-school teacher saw improvements with his health and functionality and even considered sending him to a regular high school for his junior or senior year. Then his teacher recommended Project SEARCH.

“My family and I discussed it for like a month until we actually signed the papers,” Shane said. “I am glad that we did, because I don’t know what I would do without that program.”

Project SEARCH is for students with disabilities in their last year of high school and includes a nine-month internship at a health industry or business setting where there is immersion in the workplace, continuous feedback and application of new skills.

What started in 1996 as an innovative business employment-training model for high school students with disabilities at the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center in Ohio has now been replicated in 39 states and four countries with the hopes of continued expansion.

Marcie Mendelsohn, transition coordinator for Project SEARCH in Cincinnati, said the process of bringing a site to a community could start as soon as contact with the national office begins. “If there is someone out there serious about getting a site started, we work with the statewide Developmental Disability Councils to create grants and partners to support a site,” Mendelsohn said.

The Sonoran University Centers for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities is the licensee with the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center (national Project SEARCH) and coordinator for Project SEARCH at the UA Medical Center South Campus.

“After visiting the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital’s Project SEARCH, we started working with partners here to develop the program in Tucson,” said Laura Schweers, statewide coordinator for Project SEARCH Arizona.

The Sonoran UCEDD recruited the Pima County Joint Technical Education District, which agreed to fund the unique, business-led program by providing certified special education instructors who also were certified in career and technical education.

Greg D’Anna, director of public relations for Pima County JTED, said Project SEARCH Arizona covers most of the program’s operating costs.

Pima County JTED also provides necessary facilities, equipment, supplies, maintenance, property and liability insurance to conduct the JTED Courses. Students must apply for Project SEARCH.

“Our goal is to have a broad representation of students,” Schweers said.

A prospective intern must be able to maintain appropriate behavior, hygiene, and social skills in the workplace without immediate supervision. While instructors and job coaches support interns in their rotations, the expectation is that support fades as interns gain skills and confidence within a rotation. Therefore, a student requiring one-on-one support would not be a candidate for the program.

“Selection criteria can vary,” Schweers said. “We typically have candidates who have autism, but we don’t really look at look at disability types.”

Potential interns must also be from Pima County between 18 and 21 years of age who are nearing high school graduation.

Although there is a little bit of wiggle room in the capacity for the program, Schweers said enrollment is usually limited to 12 a year because there is only one dedicated instructor who is augmented by several job coaches.

“We wouldn’t really want a larger number in a particular business because you wouldn’t want to over saturate,” Schweers said. “And of course we hope that the business is going to hire 30 percent of the student interns. If you have a higher number then you are over saturating the applicant pool.”

Two graduates from last year’s pilot program have been hired part-time at the UA Medical Center South Campus.

There are 11 Project SEARCH students this school year who get to the UAMC South Campus every morning before 8 a.m. and stay until 3 p.m. In that time they have classroom instruction, morning rotation in a chosen hospital department, lunch, afternoon rotation and then reflection and journaling with the classroom instructor at the end of the day.

Project SEARCH class of 2012-13: Back row, from left, Chelsey Perpignani, Carina Loya, Daniel Morales, Christopher Crawford, Patric Sepulveda, Michael Morales. Front row, from left, Alexis Villalta, Melissa Moore, Job Coach Jackie Beem, Griselda Elias. (Photo by Dan Habinek)

“It is not a typical thing where a student would report to a rotation and be asked to go make a copy and get coffee or something,” Dan Habinek, Project SEARCH instructor said. “They are a part of the system at the hospital and they do dynamite work on a daily basis. We couldn’t be more proud of them.”

Frank Granillo, a paramedic and Project SEARCH supervisor in the emergency department, said he has seen a lot of social growth with the students after working with them the past 16 weeks.

“They have to get involved in introducing themselves to their co-workers to knowing who they are. You’ll see them develop and come out of their shell and have better social interaction,” Granillo said.

Christopher Crawford, 19, finished his first rotation of the year a few weeks ago in the emergency department with Granillo. Crawford said he helped restock the department storage room and get the patients what they needed while keeping them comfortable and warm. He said that he enjoys every part of his day at the hospital.

“Project SEARCH has been a blast. It’s been really fun. You’re always seeing a lot of new faces, entertaining people… and lunch—the food is very delicious,” Crawford said.

The students don’t need much outside motivation to come to the hospital every day and work hard. Habinek said they are all dedicated and committed to their work in a professional environment and that many kids will only miss a day or two throughout the year.

“One fascinating thing that we’ve seen with these students is that they want to be here,” Habinek said. “They love the program and they buy into it.”

Now working in the mailroom and attending a writing class at Pima Community College, Shane has come a long way from where he was with his Asperger’s.

“I can’t believe what a blessing and what a great program it is,” Steven Dasso said. It was the best thing so far that has happened for Shane.”

Shane agrees. “I’ve learned a lot of great job skills, met a lot of really nice people, and I got hired — that’s the main thing,” he said.

He has transformed and grown tremendously and not only do his family members notice it, but also doctors and nurses in the hospital.

“In the first two weeks of school, you could hear a pin drop. And then all of a sudden they start growing,” Habinek said. “We will be in the hospital and doctors and nurses will say that they saw these students the first week of school and they were so timid and so shy but that they have grown so much since then socially, and that’s the biggest part of the program — they become advocates for themselves.”

Not only has the program been successful for the students and their families, but it has been beneficial to the hospital as well. From a financial aspect, Habinek said the hospital saves about $200,000 a year having interns help with their tasks and rotations.

Other businesses will have the opportunity to save money if the program follows through with plans to expand to new JTED-funded Project SEARCH sites.

The Sonoran UCEDD is recruiting another business partner in hopes of having a second Project SEARCH site.

Schweers said discussions have been underway with UA student affairs to develop a program for the 2012 – 2013 school year that would include internships in the bookstore, campus recreation and dining at the student union.

“We are in the process of establishing a memorandum of understanding of what they will offer.” Brent Neilson, director of central campuses for Pima County JTED said. “This involves a classroom space and access to different clinical rotations similar to that of at the hospital.”

Although the partnership has not yet been finalized, Habinek said it is looking like a slam-dunk.

“One of the big things we were looking forward to in our expansion with the University of Arizona is to give students a little more taste of the business world.” Habinek said.

Pima County JTED hopes to continue to expand Project SEARCH sites throughout Tucson in the near future, and many businesses and organizations such as Raytheon have expressed an interest.

“There is a huge need for this program,” Habinek said.  “So that is kind of the goal, awareness and to expand.”

By Christina Cruz
Tagline Media Group

Got Junk for Jesus is a charity that collects unwanted vehicles throughout Southern Arizona, refurbishes them and provides them to families in need of transportation.  We would like to share with you the story of a remarkable organization and the remarkable people they assist.

Denise (not her real name) lost her mom when she was a mere seven years old. She grew up in foster care homes in Las Vegas. Some foster parents are not as family-oriented and loving as we might assume they are. As a result, when Denise learned that she could be declared an adult, she arranged to be “emancipated’ by the courts. This young 15 year old girl, in a spirit of hope and survival, freed herself from the far too often flawed foster care system.

Denise was easy prey, at her tender age, to the predators in the adult world. She tried to live with friends and stay safe, but soon an older man who promised security, became her “boyfriend.” Soon enough, her “boyfriend” turned into her boss. It turns out that he was really a pimp. Denise was broke, on her own, without anyone or anything except her “boyfriend.” In that same spirit of survival, she figured she really had no choices left for survival, so she went to “work” for him.

Due to her youth and inexperience Denise was naively pleased with her success and the rewards of her hard work. She went from having nothing to being able to buy anything and everything she wanted. She prostituted for about seven years, and during that time she was arrested over and over again. It got to a point where the police knew her by name, as did the casinos she frequented, which started to bar her from their premises.

During this time, with only the guidance of her “boyfriend” upon which to rely, Denis gave birth to two children. However, her core values made her realize that she did not want to raise her kids in this environment. Realizing she’d be facing years of jail time if her life went on like this, Denise started thinking to herself that there must be a better life…a better way.

During her “working” days, Denise was looking for a way out. A friend told her about an organization called Hookers for Jesus (hookersforjesus.net). There, she says, she learned that with God in her life, she wouldn’t need a pimp to protect her, or a “man” to take care of her. Denise, and other women in her position, say that the pimps brainwash them into thinking they can’t make it without them, but Hookers for Jesus showed them that God could be their “Man” – and their savior.

Denise found another Way, she found God. From that point on, she saw another way to live life. That included changing her life completely. She needed to leave Las Vegas, and her old friends. Denise had nowhere to go to get a fresh start, and no way to get there. She knew that she would have to keep “working” to raise enough money to get out of town.

The father of her children, who was also her pimp had a strong hold on her and was not inclined to let go.

One day, her pimp was arrested. Denise saw her opportunity to save her children. So, while he was in jail Denise took his car keys and left everything behind.

Denise ended up in Tucson even though that was not her plan. She was trying to make it somewhere else but the car broke down in Tucson, so she checked into a women’s shelter and ended up excelling in the shelter’s program. Denise became involved with Arizona’s Department of Economic Security, and recently, through one of their programs, obtained her GED. A job soon followed, at a local call center (where she’s been working for the last six months), and she’s almost got enough money saved to get her own apartment.

A representative from Got Junk for Jesus said, “Yeah, we’re going to give her a car, and my friend, along with his family, are going to provide Denise and her three little ones with some clothes and presents for Christmas!”

Denise is doing really well these days. She’s such a smart girl, who at the age of 24, is well kept and well spoken. No one would guess that she had anything less than a wonderful childhood. She accepts full responsibility for the decisions she’s made. She knows that she is still a work in progress, who has come of the dark, and into the light.

Got Junk for Jesus, a Non-Profit 501 3(c) charity, calls upon the community to lend a hand to this amazing young woman, as she walks the path to a productive life.

Christina Cruz, a native Tucsonan, is an advertising adviser specializing in Internet Marketing and Social Media and Public Relations for TagLine Media Group. She serves on many non-profit boards throughout the community, including the Tucson Police Foundation, Midvale Park Neighborhood Association SNAPP and several others.

By Scott Weiler

With the landing of the Space Shuttle Atlantis, many Americans are feeling a sense of loss. Some may say that the pride of the American Space Program is being packaged and mothballed to be put on display in a museum with other lost artifacts. That it has become part of our history, instead of our future. This summer, I saw things differently.

Through a program with Tucson Values Teachers and the University of Arizona, myself, along with other of Tucson’s Math and Science teachers had the privilege of being brought to Tucson’s industries to work side by side with scientists and engineers, working collaboratively, to build our future.

Who are these teachers? I have the privilege of being one.  My career is a Math and Science teacher at Presidio School, one of the fine charter schools in Tucson.

The University of Arizona does recruitment and evaluation processes to get teachers into businesses whose success depends on science and engineering. Many companies, such as Raytheon and Tucson Electric, stepped up to include teachers in what they do. I was selected to work with Paragon Space Development Corporation. It is a locally owned small business that provides environmental controls for extreme and hazardous environments, such as space.

Companies like Paragon could have easily had us come in a few days over the summer to shadow an engineer or two, but the program was designed to have us not only spend our entire summer involved with the company, but doing real tasks—collaborator ting with engineers and not just watching passively.

Working with Paragon, allowed me to do real rocket science with real rocket scientists. Paragon is a hard charging company with an adventuresome spirit that was formed by Biospherians and Space scientists and engineers who wanted to change the future by creating life support that would allow humans to expand beyond their limits. They are working with other companies on making the American space program thrive again. Like Paragon, like the rest of the companies that were involved in this summer internship, also know that the future needs scientifically minded and mathematically oriented work force to continue on their path. As teachers, we know that students in the classrooms today are the scientists, engineers, and astronauts of tomorrow.

Many schools start in the coming weeks, so I will be switching back to my teacher hat. But I will have a newer and more exciting approach to teaching my students. I will not only bring my teaching experience to the classroom, but also that of a scientist and engineer. I know my students will benefit from really using the math, science, and technology that will be important in the future.

Students are coming into a world that asks more from them in the fields of Science and Math than ever before. The real opportunities for personal success are going to be areas where they create, discover and invent the future. By using skills more geared toward this century, students get glimpses of the future. My hope is that now they will be a little more aware and mindful of how they can fit into that future.

Scott Weiler is a math & science teacher at Presidio School and has six years experience teaching, including a year in South Korea. He is a gradute of University High School, and has a B.A. from Lousiana State University. He got his teaching certificate from Pima Community College.