Moore Resident Receives Commendation from Governor

OKLAHOMA CITY--Moore resident Pamela Wright 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.

Pamela Wright’s ability to move safely and independently was limited due to a visual impairment. For the past two years, she has been employed at NewView Oklahoma (formerly the League for the Blind) where she has received orientation and mobility training. Now she works as a community access specialist helping thousands of others to grow into their blindness. Wright travels independently throughout the state interacting with clients, family members, physicians and community leaders on a daily basis. She maintains case files and ensures that all clients receive the training necessary to overcome the struggles associated with visual loss. In addition to her work, Wright volunteers her time to organize and lead the Blinded Veterans support group and participates in the Lions Club events in Oklahoma City. She has also assisted in the planning and implementation of a summer camp for youth who are visually impaired. 

“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.

###

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.