Contact: Austin Altenburg
[email protected]

[Madison, Wis.] – Gov. Scott Walker’s campaign on Thursday launched its next statewide television ad highlighting the governor’s efforts to expand Project SEARCH, which is helping students with disabilities enter the workforce. Support for the initiative is a component of his bold reforms to move Wisconsin forward.

The ad – also appearing on digital platforms – features Jordan, a Project SEARCH graduate, and his mother Maggie. Project SEARCH helps provide students with disabilities with the practical skills and experience they need to thrive in the career of their choice. After graduating from the program in 2017, Jordan earned a job at a physical therapy and rehabilitation center that is part of a larger health system located in central Wisconsin. He enjoys his job and is dedicated to working in a place where he is able to help people recover.

You can watch the ad, entitled “To Help People” here. The ad begins:

Maggie: Jordan has had cognitive disabilities since he was very young.

Jordan: But now I have a job I love. It’s at the hospital, to help people, to make sure the equipment is clean.

Maggie: Governor Walker has expanded Project SEARCH, to help people with disabilities find jobs that work well for them.

Jordan: And I am really getting good at it.

Governor Walker: Project SEARCH helps students like Jordan get the skills and the experience that they need to succeed.

Jordan: I have learned to be more confident in what I am doing and to speak out.

The spot will run on television as well as on a range of online and social media platforms. It’s the fourth in a series of ads the Walker campaign is running on the governor’s strong record of getting positive things done and his plans for more bold reform to help Wisconsin win the 21st century.

Previous Walker campaign ads include “Helping People Like Me” about building a high-skilled workforce, “Providing a Leg Up” about the good jobs and workforce training the governor has supported as part of Wisconsin’s economic comeback, and, “To Save Lives” about his bipartisan efforts fighting the opioid crisis and tackling serious problems for hard-working families.

See below for more information on Gov. Walker’s support for developing our workforce with people with disabilities, through Wisconsin’s Project SEARCH and other programs:

  • Under Governor Walker’s leadership, Project SEARCH has expanded and Wisconsin has become a national leader in hiring disabled workers.
  • Wisconsin is now one of the top 10 states for employment for individuals with disabilities.
  • The success rate for Project SEARCH in Wisconsin is 88 percent – one of the best in the country. Eight years ago, there was just one program site in the state. When the next school year starts, there will be 27.
  • Governor Walker’s 2017-2019 biennial budget includes several initiatives to promote employment for people with disabilities, including:
    o $185 million for the Department of Workforce Development’s Division of Vocational Rehabilitation.
    o $1.5 million for Special Education Transitions Readiness Investment Grants, which help districts start programs that connect disabled students to the workforce.
    ​o $5.9 million for Special Education Transitions Incentive Grants, which reward districts that help disabled students connect to the workforce.
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