Innovative Internship Program at Hartford Healthcare's Backus Hospital Provides Job Training

UCP Interns Graduate Workplace Ready

Project SEARCH graduates along with UCP and Backus Hospital team members celebrate graduation, 2025
Project SEARCH graduates, along with UCP and Backus Hospital team members, celebrate graduation, 2025.

UCP, in partnership with Hartford HealthCare’s Backus Hospital and the Connecticut Department of Developmental Services (DDS), proudly announces the graduation of its 2025 Project SEARCH interns. Our 9-month program equips young adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) with the skills and experience needed for sustainable, competitive, integrated employment.

Hosted entirely on-site at Backus, the program offers total workplace immersion. Interns complete multiple rotations in hospital departments, including food and nutrition, the gift shop, and patient transport. In addition to hands-on job training, participants engage in classroom instruction focused on employability, job discovery, and life skills development.

“85% of graduates secure competitive employment,” said Christine Olbrys, Associate Executive Director at UCP. “This program is life-changing. Two of our interns have already been hired by Hartford HealthCare.”

JT Carlin, from East Lyme, was hired as an Information Desk Receptionist, and Sharod Washington, from Willimantic, will work as an Environmental Services Associate. At graduation,  JT thanked his trainers and mentors, “I want to thank them for providing me the best 9 months of my life.”

NEW Zoom info sessions coming soon!

Left- JT Carlin. Right- Sharod Washington
Left: JT Carlin. Right: Sharod Washington
“Project SEARCH is a game-changer for individuals with disabilities seeking meaningful employment,” said Jennifer Keatley, Executive Director of UCP. “Our interns gain vital skills, confidence, and experience that make them strong candidates in today’s job market. Programs like this are more important now than ever.”
 
Everyone gains. Interns find gainful employment, make new friends, and business connections. Employers benefit from a diverse workforce and improved retention in high-turnover positions.
 
Donna Handley, East Region President at Backus Hospital, shared her perspective: “We’re challenged to fill frontline positions. This partnership with UCP has introduced us to eager, capable interns who are excited to learn. They’ve had the opportunity to explore multiple roles within the Hartford HealthCare system, finding what really matters to them. They have brought joy to our organization…they're excited, they're happy to do what they're doing, and it brings meaning to their lives, as well as ours. This first class of graduates has made such an impression, we’re genuinely excited to welcome the second class this fall.”
 

Eligibility requirements — Young people (age 18 to 35)  with disabilities with a desire to find employment, and high school students with I/DD in their last year of high school. Funding from school, family, or state agencies, such as the DDS.