The 2025-26 Project SEARCH Toronto graduating class will be the last full cohort trained at Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital and the University Health Network’s (UHN) Lyndhurst Centre and Toronto Rehab Rumsey Centre. The program is moving to train students primarily at UHN’s Toronto General Hospital, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre and Toronto Rehab University Centre. The program’s new classroom will be based at the Mitchener Institute for Education at UHN.

“We’ve been planning this transition for several years,” explains Jenn Lill, Toronto District School Board’s (TDSB) Project SEARCH Toronto teacher. “The size and activity levels at the busy downtown hospital sites will give our students a wide variety of training opportunities to learn skills needed in Toronto’s labour market.”

Holland Bloorview, UHN, TDSB, Community Living Toronto and United Way Greater Toronto launched Project SEARCH Toronto in 2019. Since then, the program has trained and supported 66 students with disabilities (including the class of 2025-26) to move from school to work and adult life.

Holland Bloorview’s Carolyn McDougall is the Ontario and Canada coordinator for Project SEARCH, helping to connect organizations in communities that want to start new programs and coordinating a community of practice for the 29 Canadian sites. Together with the Ontario Disability Employment Network (ODEN) and with funding from The Slaight Family Foundation, Holland Bloorview is leading a five-year Ontario strategy to engage employers in hiring from the Project SEARCH talent pool.

“I am so grateful for how the leadership and staff at Holland Bloorview have enthusiastically supported Project SEARCH Toronto for the last seven years,” says McDougall. “We can see the results of our support in the employment success of our graduates, but also in the number of Project SEARCH programs now active in Ontario. Truly this is an example of living our values of reach, access, inclusion and impact.”

In total, 39 per cent of graduates have been hired to temporary or permanent roles at UHN or Holland Bloorview and overall 73 per cent of graduates (from the 2019-20 to the 2024-25 cohorts) obtained employment. This compares to employment rates of 54 per cent for Canadian youth ages 15-24 (Labour Force Survey, July 2025) and approximately 25 to 30 per cent for Canadians with intellectual disabilities and autism (Statistics Canada 2023).

Graduate Jordan O’Neal’s path included three co-op placements during his time with the program – learning clerical, materials management and housekeeping skills. Jordan’s first paid roles after Project SEARCH were with Holland Bloorview working with clients and families to complete health equity surveys, and then with Joe Fresh. Currently, he works at UHN as a laundry sorter & washer. “I get the dirty linen carts on each floor and use a tow motor to bring them all down to the loading dock,” explains O’Neal. “I really like working and I take all the shifts I can.

Graduate Danial Young also landed a great job at UHN transporting patients to appointments and graduate Mosiah Samuel-Dobson trained and now works at Holland Bloorview as a toy sanitizer. 

2024-25 graduate Danial Young (left) and 2022-23 graduate Mosiah Samuel-Dobson (right)

Holland Bloorview will continue to be an active partner in Project SEARCH Toronto at UHN. 

• Two Holland Bloorview skills trainers will work with the students and the TDSB staff during the training year to coach students in learning job-specific and employability skills (funded from 2026-2028 by United Way Greater Toronto). 
• The hospital’s Employment Pathways team will coordinate with the students, families and the staff of Project SEARCH and Community Living Toronto to help graduates find and start jobs after the training.
• Some students may complete co-op placements at Holland Bloorview in the spring in future years.

For more information about Project SEARCH Toronto visit projectsearchtoronto.ca or contact projectsearchtoronto@tdsb.on.ca or cmcdougall@hollandbloorview.ca.