Will Payne & Barry Diamond receive commendations from Governor Mary Fallin

Oklahoma City – Will Payne & Barry Diamond received commendations from Governor Mary Fallin on October 10 during the Governor’s Disability Employment Awards at the Governor’s Mansion in Oklahoma City.

Both men work with the Payne Radio Group and have been partners with Kiamichi Opportunities in their ongoing efforts to promote the capabilities of individuals with disabilities. Will Payne donates air time to Kiamichi Opportunities in order to promote events, services, and above all, the capabilities of people with disabilities. Both Will Payne and Barry Diamond frequently interact over the air with consumers concerning birthdays, music requests, and other significant events in their lives. They have also put on dances at reduced rates for the consumers.

Because of this valuable publicity from the Payne Radio Group, events held by Kiamichi Opportunities have been more heavily attended, their services have been utilized more, and the community is beginning to realize the value of employing individuals with developmental disabilities. Both Will and Barry go out of their way to promote the agency along with the people they serve.

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.

Will Payne and Barry Diamond receive Governor’s Commendations for their outstanding achievements in employment from Rep. Jason Nelson (right). The award was presented during the Governor’s Disability Employment Awards of Excellence at the Governor’s Mansion on October 10.