Drumright resident receives commendation from Governor

DRUMRIGHT, OKLA. -- Drumright resident Richard Molder, Jr. 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.
For the past two years, Molder has worked in janitorial service at the Cushing Regional Hospital.  He works full time and receives all the company benefits.  Molder’s primary job is keep the hospital floors cleaned, but when co-workers in housekeeping are not able to be at work, he often fills in performing their jobs. Molder’s positive attitude has generated enthusiasm among the crews at the hospital.  His friends at Central Tech Supported Employment say Molder has a strong belief in the purpose of his job and he works to uphold the highest level of service to his employer. Molder lives in his own apartment and enjoys attending church, singing in the choir, and performing at community functions.

“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, 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.

###