Ohio Project SEARCH: Transition Program Locations and How It Works

Project SEARCH started at Cincinnati Children's Hospital in 1996, and Ohio remains one of the strongest states for the program. It's a one-year, school-to-work transition model where students with intellectual and developmental disabilities spend their entire school day inside a host business — not in a classroom at the high school — rotating through three internship positions while receiving instruction from a special education teacher and a job coach on site.

How the Program Works

Project SEARCH runs on a full school year calendar, typically from September through June. The student reports to the host business every weekday, just like a regular employee. The day includes:

• Morning instruction in a dedicated classroom at the host site, covering employability skills, workplace safety, and job-specific training
• Three internship rotations across different departments within the host business, each lasting roughly 10 to 12 weeks
• Ongoing job coaching from an employment specialist provided by OOD or a county board provider, working alongside the student on site

The goal is competitive integrated employment — a real, paying job — by the time the student finishes the program. Project SEARCH is designed to connect the internship experience to that competitive employment outcome.

Who's Eligible

Project SEARCH is designed for students in their last year of school eligibility, typically ages 18 to 21 (up to the student's 22nd birthday under Ohio's FAPE rules). The student must:

• Have an intellectual or developmental disability
• Be in their final year of high school or have deferred their diploma to continue receiving transition services
• Express an interest in competitive integrated employment
• Be able to participate safely in a workplace setting with support

The diploma deferral piece is important. Many Project SEARCH participants have already completed their academic coursework but chose not to accept their diploma so they can continue receiving FAPE-funded transition services. The IEP team makes this decision using the state Graduation Decision-Making Tool, which is reviewed annually starting at age 14.

Ohio Host Business Sites

Project SEARCH sites in Ohio are spread across the state, with host businesses including hospitals, hotels, government offices, universities, and logistics companies. The program is coordinated locally through partnerships between school districts, county boards of developmental disabilities, and OOD.

Because each site is a local partnership, the specific locations change as new businesses join and others rotate out. The most reliable way to find a current site near you is to:

1. Contact your county board of developmental disabilities and ask about local Project SEARCH partnerships
2. Ask your school district's transition coordinator — they should know which sites are operating in your region
3. Check with your OOD vocational rehabilitation counselor, since OOD frequently funds the job coaching component

Major metro areas — Columbus, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Dayton, Akron, Toledo — tend to have multiple active sites. Rural counties may participate in regional partnerships where students commute to a host business in a neighboring county.

Funding and Cost to Families

Funding is arranged locally through the school district, county board, OOD, and host-business partnership. Ask the local partners what each will cover, including transportation and any family costs:

• The school district provides the special education teacher and counts the student as enrolled (generating state foundation funding)
• OOD typically funds the employment specialist/job coach through Pre-ETS or formal VR services
• The host business provides the internship positions, workspace, and employee mentors at no cost to the student

The host business doesn't pay the intern a wage during the program — this is an educational placement, not paid employment. The employment goal is a separate, paying job either at the host site or elsewhere in the community after the program year ends.

Connection to the IEP and Transition Plan

Project SEARCH participation should be written directly into the student's IEP. The transition services section should reference the specific program, and the postsecondary employment goal should reflect the type of work the student is exploring through their internship rotations.

The IEP team should also document:

• How the student will travel to the host business site daily, including whether transportation is included as an IEP service
• Which agency is providing the on-site job coach
• How internship performance data will feed into transition assessment updates
• The plan for competitive employment placement after the program year ends

What Happens After the Program Year

The employment specialist who worked with the student during the program year typically continues providing job development and coaching through OOD funding to help the student secure and stabilize in a competitive job. Once the student is stable in employment for 90 days, OOD closes the case.

If the student needs ongoing, indefinite job coaching beyond OOD's stabilization period, that support shifts to the county board through an HCBS Medicaid waiver. This handoff has to be planned in advance — applying for county board waiver services during the Project SEARCH year, not after it ends, prevents a gap in support.

The Ohio IEP Transition to Adulthood Guide includes a master transition timeline that maps Project SEARCH enrollment against OOD application deadlines and county board waiver timelines, so families can coordinate all three agencies without losing coverage during the handoff.

See more Ohio guides →