Project SEARCH, an educational program offered at Vidant Medical Center (VMC), is proud to announce five students graduated from the program on Tuesday, June 1: Kahlil Green, Eric Kenney, Nick Smithson, Tolbert Wangila and Neil Williams. Project SEARCH is a one-year internship program for students with developmental and intellectual disabilities in their last year of high school with the goal of providing real-world practical skills and increasing the chances of competitive employment. “Project SEARCH gives us an opportunity to teach students trades and help them become employable,” said Tommy Cox, director of Community Employment Services at RHA Health Services, and a member of the VMC Project SEARCH Advisory Committee. The employment rate for youth with disabilities is about 60 to 70 percent less than youth without disabilities, according to the Office of Disability Employment Policy. Many of the program’s graduates have gained competitive employment in the local community upon g...