Six young adults are stepping out of their comfort zones and learning new job skills at Lawrence Memorial Hospital through a new program called Project Search.

They file papers, deliver supplies, answer phone calls, clean equipment and work with patients.

Such tasks weren’t easy for these students when they began their work in August because they have intellectual and developmental disabilities. But today, they’ve mastered the skills and have become a real asset at LMH.

Tracy Brosseit, support specialist for LMH Endowment Association, said Kelsey Leonard, 20, has been a “huge help.”

Leonard has worked at the front desk answering phone calls and helping visitors. She files paperwork, enters data into their systems and attends weekly staff meetings. She also cut the pink ribbons that went around the trees in downtown Lawrence for Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

She works from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. weekdays and is evaluated just like other employees. It’s similar to an unpaid internship.

“We include her in everything that we do, and we’ve enjoyed having her around here,” Brosseit said. “She’s really been a great big help.”

The students work in different departments across the hospital — materials management, medical records, skilled nursing, rehabilitation — and soon will rotate to a new department. In March, they will begin looking for a paid job in the community.

Llara Baska, a Project Search coordinator, said there are about 150 such projects nationwide. She said Lawrence school district pursued a grant from the Kansas Council on Developmental Disabilities last year to start one in Lawrence, and they received a one-year $9,000 grant.

The schools then approached LMH and Kansas University to see if they would be host sites. They also partnered with Kansas Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services’ Vocational Rehabilitation and JobLink, a division at Cottonwood Inc. that helps adults with disabilities find work. In addition, there’s a group of Free State High School students who interact with the Project Search participants and provide advice on topics such as good manners, social skills and appropriate dress.

“It’s another layer of support,” Baska said. She said the Project Search participants have a range of disabilities, including Asperger’s syndrome, which is characterized by difficulties in social interaction and autism.

The project began in August with 15 students; nine of them are working at KU in areas such as animal care, facilities and operations, human resources, athletics and the library.

The students also meet in a classroom before and after their jobs nearly every day. They work on social and communication skills and problem solving. Recently, they’ve been focusing on job interviews.

Each student has a job coach who checks on them a couple times a day. They provide support and help break down tasks that might be difficult.

“They’ve gained confidence, learned new skills in their departments, and they’ve proved to be good experiences,” said Mary Bentley, who is a job coach for three students at LMH, including Leonard.

Leonard said she has enjoyed her job at the LMH Endowment Association and would consider a clerical job because of the experience. She’s hoping to work in skilled nursing in the coming weeks where her classmate Sorin Andrus, 19, has been located.

Andrus cleans and delivers supplies and works with patients. She participates in a group exercise class and sometimes does one-on-one art projects with patients.

“During the past few weeks, I’ve been making a lot of friends with the patients,” she said, smiling.

Kathy Snyder has watched Andrus grow through the project as her job coach.

“Sorin has done a lot with the patients and has developed a good relationship with them. She kind of helps motivate them and keeps them happy. She’s a bright light in the area she works in,” Snyder said.

Kelsey Leonard, 20, files some paperwork Friday, Nov. 11, 2011, in the office of the Lawrence Memorial Hospital Endowment Association. Leonard is participating in Project Search, a new program offered in Lawrence, which provides education and job training for young adults who have intellectual and developmental disabilities. by Kevin Anderson

James Griffin sorts through supplies Friday, Nov. 11, 2011, in the materials management department at Lawrence Memorial Hospital, 325 Maine. Griffin is participating in Project Search, a new program offered in Lawrence, which provides education and job training for young adults, ages 18-21, who have intellectual and developmental disabilities. by Kevin Anderson