River Valley Project

Kathleen MacLean the new Project SEARCH instructor recently relocated from the Mount Washington Valley in New Hampshire.  Originally from the Boston area she grew up in Wellesley Massachusetts.  Kathleen began her career in education providing technology training and support at a major real estate investment company in Boston.  For the past 14 years she has been employed in the Conway School District.  Her experience spans across all grade levels K-12.  She received her Bachelors in marketing and communications from Boston University.  After a long hiatus, she returned to school and completed the post-baccalaureate teacher certification program in special education at Granite State College.   This year she plans to enroll at Plymouth State University to complete her Master’s in Education.  Kathleen loves to spend her leisure time gardening and hiking with her Labrador Retriever Sandy Jo.

Summary of Presentation

The ultimate goal of Project SEARCH is for each intern to obtain competitive employment.  This is an employer-based intervention for students with significant disabilities. The program combines real-life work experience with training in employability and independent living skills. Individualized placement assistance is provided as an integral part of the program. The hallmark of this demand-side model is complete immersion in the workplace. [Rutkowski, et al]