Project SEARCH Autism Enhancement Graduation 2025
On June 17, seven participants in the Project SEARCH Autism Enhancement (PS-AE) program proudly graduated from their internship positions during a heartfelt ceremony held at NewYork-Presbyterian Westchester Behavioral Health in White Plains. Family members, friends, and partners gathered to celebrate the achievements of these remarkable young adults.
Project SEARCH Autism Enhancement is a ten-month internship program designed for young adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder. It combines classroom instruction with hands-on job training in a clinical setting, offering interns a fully immersive workplace experience. Throughout the program, participants complete approximately 600 hours of internship rotations and 300 hours of employment readiness instruction
The Arc Westchester operates the local PS-AE site in collaboration with NEXT for AUTISM, NewYork-Presbyterian Westchester Behavioral Health, and The Center for Autism and the Developing Brain (CADB). The program is supported by the Office for People with Developmental Disabilities (OPWDD), ACCES VR, and the PS-AE Business Advisory Council. Since its launch in 2016, PS-AE has empowered young adults with autism to gain valuable employability and workplace skills.
Graduation is not the end of their journey. Upon completing the internship, participants transition to The Arc Westchester’s Supported Employment Department, where they receive personalized support in finding and maintaining meaningful, paid employment in the community. This seamless continuum—from training to job placement—is what makes the program so impactful.
Guest speakers at the ceremony included Nancy Fraher, PS-AE Director at The Arc Westchester; Nora Contract, Senior Director of Psychiatry Operations at NewYork-Presbyterian; and Dr. Laura Persky, Adjunct Professor, Consultant, and Business Advisory Council member. The event also featured warm congratulatory video messages from Philip J. Wilner, M.D., MBA, Senior Vice President for Behavioral Health and COO at NewYork-Presbyterian Westchester Behavioral Health, and Tibisay A. Guzman, CEO of The Arc Westchester.
Congratulations to the PS-AE Class of 2025!
It has been wonderful working with seven interns this year. I am proud of our graduates and confident in their readiness for employment and successful independent lives. The skills they acquired and gained in the PSAE Training Room and during their internships at NewYork-Presbyterian Behavioral Health have equipped them for meaningful careers. I wish each of them the very best as they embark on their future journeys!
The five young men and two young women shared the experience of their individual internships, what they learned from each unique experience and their goals for what they would like to accomplish in the future. They made a video presentation of the year in review and each graduate addressed the guests and thanked their staff, internship supervisors, and families for supporting them during this journey. After their speaches, each graduate was presented with certificates to officially recognize their completion of the program. Congratulations!
“When we started the program a little over a decade ago, we never thought that it would become a national model”.
Our 2025 Project SEARCH Graduation Class!
