Lawton Employer Receives Commendation from Governor

OKLAHOMA CITY -- A Lawton employer received a commendation from Gov. Brad Henry and Lt. Gov. Jari Askins on October 6 during the Governor’s Disability Employment Awards at the Governor’s Mansion in Oklahoma City. October is national Disability Employment Awareness Month.

The Army and Air Force Exchange Services at Ft. Sill employs three people with disabilities through Dale Rogers Training Center. All the employees work as lobby attendants in the food court and are giving special training and attention to ensure their success. The human resources department is very active in the monitoring of new hires and has designated lead staff members to attend to the employees’ special needs. They review employee’s needs based on their individual circumstances and work to accommodate such things as time off needed, advancements, incidents, and changes in job duties or location. The AAFES strives to utilize the talents of all their employees to enhance their workforce and ultimately enrich their service environment. 

“It is employees and businesses like these that have put Oklahoma ahead of every state in the nation at employing people with disabilities,” said Director Howard Hendrick 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," Hendrick said. “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 Gov. Brad Henry and Lt. Gov. Jari Askins, along with OKDHS/DDSD, the Department of Rehabilitation Services, and the Oklahoma Association of Persons in Supported Employment.

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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.