COLLEGE STATION, Texas — October is widely-known for Breast Cancer awareness month, but the 31-day month is home to more than one cause and/or topic: highlighting Childhood Cancer and Sickle Cell.
In addition to another awareness month that's often overlooked, National Disability Employment Awareness month recognizes the many contributions of people with disabilities to America's workplace. This year's theme is 'Advancing Access and Equity,' to highlight the importance of ensuring all people have equal opportunity to contribute their skills and talents.
According to the CDC, more than five million adults in Texas live with a disability. That's about one in four adults that are impacted.
Programs like Project Search work to create those equal opportunities by helping special needs students develop workplace and life skills. Since its inception, the Cincinnati-based program has grown from a single program site, to a large and continuously expanding international network of sites, like the BCS. It has been implemented in 10 different countries. This will be the 10th year they've partnered with Baylor Scott & White.
The initiative consists of an hour-long class on various subjects like financial literacy, budgeting, employment skills, conduct mock interviews, taxes, and more. Once class is done, the students report to their respective internships.
Instructor Beth Sherry says it gives students, like intern Vaughan Evers who has autism and a speech impairment, a hand up. He stocks linen for the hospital, and he delivers cards and helps with the blanket warming for patients.
"Thanks to Project Search it helps my two disabilities become my advantage," said Evers. "Take autism for example thanks to project search I feel more independent with myself and my speech impairment, it helps me be more vocal to others."
Sherry shared how programs like these help break the stigma of those who have disabilities, and misconceptions about their contribution in the workplace.
It's a heartwarming feeling, one that especially hits home for Sherry as she's watched Evers grow over the past nine years.
"They're working on transferable skills that they could take with them to any job not necessarily in the medical field," she said. "It's really just incredible to see how far he's come and what he's gonna be able to do with the skill she's learned."
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