Wilburton resident and business receive commendation from Governor
Library: News Release
Developmental Disabilities Services Division
Phone: (405) 521-4972 Fax: (405) 522-3037
Email: AnnDee.Lee@okdhs.org
Oklahoma City – Brian Parks of Wilburton and the Pizza Hut where he works both received a commendation from Governor Mary Fallin on October 10 during the Governor’s Disability Employment Awards at the Governor’s Mansion in Oklahoma City.
As the supervisor at the Wilburton Pizza Hut, Kay Littlejohn and her team go above and beyond in accommodating their employee with disabilities. Brian Parks began working there in 2007 and takes great pride in doing his job. Staff members say he has been a valued member of the Pizza Hut team and he has earned several employee recognition awards that encourage him to be proud of himself and where he works. Besides participating in a variety of volunteer activities in the community, he looks forward to going to work and all that he has accomplished.
The Pizza Hut staff and management are proud to hire people with disabilities and help them succeed. Not only has the restaurant’s attitude provided continued employment for people with disabilities, but the entire staff has great social interaction with Brian and makes him feel comfortable in his job and feel a part of the Pizza Hut team.
The Governor’s Disability Employment Awards are co-sponsored by the Office of the Governor, the Developmental Disabilities Services Division of the Oklahoma Department of Human Services (OKDHS), the Department of Rehabilitation Services, and the Oklahoma Association of Persons in Supported Employment.
Rep. Jason Nelson of Oklahoma City offered welcoming remarks at the awards ceremony and announced that October is national Disability Employment Awareness Month. “It is employees and businesses like these that have put Oklahoma at the forefront in the nation for helping people with disabilities find jobs and become working taxpayers,” said Nelson who serves as chairman of the House Human Services Sub-Committee on Appropriations and Budget.
“In Oklahoma, 60% of individuals with developmental disabilities served by the OKDHS Developmental Disabilities Services Division participate in supported employment services as compared to the national average of 20.1%.”
Rep. Nelson added that it was important to recognize the skills that people with disabilities bring to our workforce. “Their talents and contributions are vital to the strength of our state, our nation's workforce and our future prosperity,” said Nelson.
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Editors Note: Go to http://www.statedata.info/ (Link opens in new window) 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). This website 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.
