Wilburton Resident Receives Commendation from Governor

OKLAHOMA CITY -- Wilburton resident Brian Parks 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.

For the past four years, Parks has worked at his local Pizza Hut. Whether he is folding pizza boxes, preparing items for sandwiches, or working in the dining room, he gives 100 percent of himself. Parks is well-liked by his coworkers and his supervisor says he is “Great!” His job coach with Big Five Community Services says Parks has become quite social since going to work. He enjoys interacting with the dine-in customers and shares his love and knowledge of musicals with everyone. Parks’ favorite activity is attending musicals in and around his community as well as the wonderful shows in Branson, Missouri. If you want to have a great pizza dining experience, be sure to visit the Wilburton Pizza Hut. You will have to pay for the pizza but the musical reviews and the great conversation you will receive from Parks is free.  

“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.