Search, Inc.

Mission

Search empowers individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities to achieve their full potential, accept a valued role in their community and lead rich, rewarding lives.
Search’s vision is of a world where all people live, learn, work and play alongside one another, bringing their unique abilities to the community.

Services Provided

Search got its start in 1968 as a grassroots movement of parents in the Cabrini Green neighborhood of Chicago advocating for the inclusion of their children into the public school system. Standing up against the segregation of people with disabilities from their communities is core to our legacy.

Supported Living

Search provides Community Integrated Living Arrangements (CILA or group homes) and Independent Living Supports (intermittent services).

Adult Learning

Providing useful life skills while enjoying a variety of enriching activities onsite and in the local community, by participating in work, volunteer opportunities or learning activities.

Career Services

Search will help find and keep a job. Services options include Community Employment Services, Planet Access Company: Train-to-Work, and Planet Access Company Transition Program for High School Students. Past job placements have included Mariano’s, Lou Malnati’s, Walmart, and Butera Market, among many others.

Visibility Arts

Visibility Arts is a comprehensive visual arts program that offers a combination of group learning experiences and hands-on studio time.

Ignite

Ignite is a learning site that uses the Glidepath curriculum. Students are involved with a small group setting co-located with a workplace readiness and training program that offers a dynamic mix of classroom instruction, individual supports, and community-based experiences

No Boundaries

No Boundaries is an experiential, flexible training program for transitioning teens and adults with disabilities. No Boundaries builds essential skills for the workplace and for living more independently in today's world.

Trainings

Training programs provide through JJ’s List. Visit their webpage to learn more

Glidepath

Glidepath Curriculum is a unique program resource developed by Search, Inc. Glidepath Curriculum is designed to support person centered programs and services, choice of daily activities and access to the greater community. Glidepath lesson plans provide easy to follow instructions for providing a variety of rich, active experiences that meet the needs and preferences of individuals with a wide range of intellectual and developmental disabilities. Glidepath Curriculum reaches over 1,000 individuals every day in program locations across Illinois.

Planet Access Company/Store

Planet Access Company Warehouse is a third-party logistics warehouse offering full services. Our Planet Access store, a Toad&Co. partner store, is located in the Lincoln Square neighborhood of Chicago.

JJsList.com

As a social enterprise of Search, JJ’s List helps businesses connect to individuals with disabilities. The Disability Awareness Players, a signature service team of jjslist.com, are a dynamic and interactive troupe that train businesses to integrate disability-aware customer service and employment practices into core business strategies. Established in 2009, the Players have trained more than 10,000 individuals at retail businesses, theaters, libraries, schools, trade associations, nonprofit organizations and corporations to communicate comfortably and confidently with prospective hires, customers and current employees who have disabilities.

How Many People Reached

450 people annually.

How Donations Are Used

Donations are used to support its supported living programs, adult learning programs and career services, and other social enterprises for the individuals it serves. This also can subsidize the expenses of in-home virtual programming during the COVID-19 pandemic, meals for group homes, and outings in local communities when safe to do so. Additionally, donations can support its Visibility Arts program to allow individuals to express themselves while creating beautiful art pieces.

Project Spotlight

Giving Tuesday 2020: December 1st, 2020

Starting November 1st, donors have a special opportunity to make donation to Search Inc. go twice as far! From Nov 1 – Dec 1, any online gift of $200 or more to Search Inc. will be matched by the Coleman Foundation. Search's goal is to raise $20,000 by midnight on Dec 1, #GivingTuesday.Donations, in any amount, will help Search reach its goal!

Awards or Certifications

Search, Inc. is licensed by the Illinois Department of Human Services and is accredited by the Council on Quality and Leadership (CQL).

Interesting Facts

The Keystone Alliance was founded in 2009 through a unique partnership between two like-minded nonprofits with similar missions, Glenkirk and Search, Inc. The Keystone Alliance was created in the interest of generating administrative efficiencies and sharing best practices. Today, Search’s administrative overhead is just 8.5% of its total expenses. Glenkirk and Search have benefited greatly from sharing innovations and best practices with one another.