Vinita Employer Receives Commendation from Governor

OKLAHOMA CITY -- A Vinita 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.

Ron Mabes is the manager of the Wal Mart store in Vinita. Over the past 20 years, he has been a supporter of hiring persons with disabilities and enabling them to succeed. He currently employs two people from the Home of Hope in his customer service department. One of the ladies has worked there for 20 years. Mabes is also responsible for the hiring of 14 people with disabilities from other supported employment agencies in his community. At the store, they provide employees extensive training and assist them in integrating into the regular workforce. Mabes has also been supportive to disability programs through his personal, charitable donations which support the Home of Hope activities. 

“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, 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.