CINCINNATI — Behind the guest services desk at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, visitors will find 21-year-old Gabriel Soto.  

What You Need To Know

  • October marks National Disability Employment Awareness Month

  • Project SEARCH is a nationwide program that provides high school students with developmental disabilities with real-world job experience through internships

  • Gabriel Soto is a 2022 Project SEARCH graduate who is now a full-time employee at Cincinnati Children's Hospital

“I’m also bilingual, so I speak Spanish. I help out with Hispanic families if they need it,” he said. 

 His journey with CCH started 14 years ago, when he and his family moved to Cincinnati from Puerto Rico to find him life-saving care.

He was diagnosed with Rasmussen Encephalitis, a rare, chronic inflammatory disease that can lead to brain damage and cause seizures. Soto now lives with only the right side of his brain.  

“After the brain surgery, I lost my speech, my ability to walk, and pretty much everything,” he said. “Working at children's, the hospital that cured my disease, I can now make an impact.”

He’s one graduate of Project SEARCH. It's a nationwide program that provides high school students with developmental disabilities with real-world job experience through internships with various host employers.

In 2023, just over 22% of people with a disability were employed. That's the highest on record for the U.S. Department of Labor since 2008.

Every October, the spotlight is put on people with disabilities who are overcoming obstacles and making a difference in the U.S. workforce for National Disability Employment Awareness Month. 

“During their last internship and beyond, we're looking for competitive, integrated employment in a career field that highlights the skills that they learned in Project SEARCH and highlights their interests, their preferences, and even geography,” Project SEARCH Cincinnati Children's Project Manager Susie Rutkowski said. 

“I think that's the biggest myth, too, is that people with disabilities can't do certain things, but all of us can't do certain things until we try.” 

Project SEARCH originated at Cincinnati Children's during the 1998-1999 school year. There are over 80 graduates of Project Search that are now employees at Cincinnati Children's in a wide variety of departments. 

Jody Clyde is an Employment Support Specialist at Cincinnati Children’s. They’re linked with Project Search graduates and are right by their side every step of the way.  

"Gabe has grown with his confidence, and he has grown to really try to help change the outcome here at Cincinnati Children’s,” she said. 

Soto still has his tough days on the job, whether it's remembering certain things or facing language barriers. He said that’s only made his skin tougher. 

“I want to make an impact and make a big mark,” Soto said. 

There are now more than 770 Project SEARCH programs in the U.S. and beyond.

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