Ponca City Employer Receives Commendation from Governor

OKLAHOMA CITY -- A Ponca City 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.

Ed Pingel is the manager of the Pizza Hut in Ponca City. He currently has three people with disabilities working in the restaurant--two of the employees have been there for six and eight years. Pingel is dedicated to the individuals’ success by ensuring they receive proper training and support. He works closely with Pioneer Technology Center Supported Employment staff to hire and make accommodations for clients who are qualified for jobs. Once employees no longer need their job coaches, Pingel ensures they receive natural support from their co-workers. Pingel also volunteers his time to serve on the Technology Center’s Supported Employment Business Advisory Committee. This group advises and networks with other community businesses in marketing jobs for the people in the supported employment program.

“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.