Sand Springs resident receives commendation from Governor

SAND SPRINGS, OKLA. -- Sand Springs resident Jimmy Byford received a commendation from Governor Brad Henry and Lt. Governor Jari Askins Oct. 22 during the Governor’s Disability Employment Awards at the Governor’s Mansion in Oklahoma City. October is national Disability Employment Awareness Month.
Byford has worked for the local Wal Mart store for the past five years. His job in general maintenance requires that he be involved with every department in the store. As a result, Byford has been able to make friends with customers and with his many coworkers throughout the store. His supervisor continually praises Byford’s work and he has received several pay raises based on his performance over the years.  Being employed at Wal Mart has given Byford the means to purchase his own truck and he has partnered with his brother to buy a home. Byford is proud to have his own checking and savings accounts as well as Wal Mart profit sharing and a 401k plan. His friends at Central Tech Supported Employment say Byford volunteers his extra time for their annual Chili cook off and enjoys attending Oklahoma Association of Supported Employment conferences.

“It is employees and businesses like these that have put Oklahoma ahead of every state in the nation at employing people with disabilities,” said Howard Hendrick, Director of the Oklahoma Department of Human Services.

“For the past three years, Oklahoma has led the nation in assisting people with developmental disabilities to find competitive jobs and become working taxpayers, “said Hendrick. “Today, 60 percent of individuals with developmental disabilities served by the OKDHS Developmental Disabilities Services Division participate in supported employment services.”

The Governor’s Disability Employment Awards are co sponsored by Governor Brad Henry and Lt. Governor Jari Askins, along with OKDHS/DDSD, the Department of Rehabilitation Services, and the Oklahoma Association of Persons in Supported Employment.

Editors Note: To see Oklahoma’s ranking as compared to other states in regard to the numbers of persons with developmental disabilities in competitive jobs (supported employment) go to, http://www.statedata.info/ (Link opens in new window). This Web site is a project of the Institute for Community Inclusion at UMass Boston, supported in part by the Administration on Developmental Disabilities, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services under cooperative agreement with additional support from the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research of the U.S. Department of Education.

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