Oklahoma City Residents Receive Commendations from Governor

OKLAHOMA CITY -- Oklahoma City residents Tim Martin, Falesha Oliver and Latasha Smiley received commendations 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.

Martin works as a diet office operator at the University of Oklahoma Medical Center in Oklahoma City. Martin experienced a stroke three years ago and has had to work hard to overcome numerous medical hurdles in finding and maintaining a job. Since going to work at the medical center, Martin has learned to use all of Oklahoma City’s Metro Transit transportation services. To get to and from work each day, he has to allow at least two hours before and after his shift for public transportation. Martin’s employment specialist at the Dale Rogers Training Center said he is devoted to his job and extremely motivated. In July, Martin was able to purchase an accessible van and is having it adapted for his needs. He is looking forward to the independence of driving himself to and from work each day.

Oliver has been employed through the Dale Rogers Training Center since 2002 and has worked on the Governmental Services Contract. During this time, Oliver has shown tremendous growth and confidence in her skills. She was transferred to work at the new federal campus building because of her superior abilities and dependability. Oliver is a single mother providing for her 8-year-old daughter and herself. Working the night shift is not easy with a young child but Oliver ensures her daughter is well care for in her absence. One recent evening during a shift, Oliver found a wallet, containing credit cards and more than $300 cash lying on the floor. She had been trained to know that all valuables found are to be turned into the marshal on duty. Oliver did not hesitate. The grateful owner was found and the wallet returned intact. Oliver’s honesty and work ethics shone in an area where many people fail. She has been a great example of the quality of employees working on that contract and has shown the value of being an honest, hardworking employee. 

Smiley is a custodian at the University of Oklahoma and is a model hard-working single mom. She is the mother of two young children and is proud to support her family. Smiley’s dedication to her work and her children is demonstrated on a daily basis. Her work day starts at 4 a.m. which means she must be up at 2 a.m. to get ready and get her children, who are still asleep, to her mother’s home 10 miles away. After dropping off the kids, Smiley then drives 27 miles to work at OU. Smiley’s supervisor says that she is one of the most dependable, hard-working custodians she has ever known. She not only gets the job done, but she passes inspections nearly error free. After work each day, Smiley then drives the same distance back to pick up her children and go home. Smiley is the dedicated employee that every company seeks and that OU is fortunate to have.

“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.