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12 honored at 31st annual People with Disabilities Awareness Day

OKLAHOMA CITY - Jody Harlan, former communications director for the Oklahoma Department of Rehabilitation Services, was honored March 11 with the 2024 Lifetime Achievement Award during the 31st annual People with Disabilities Awareness Day in Oklahoma City.

The Oklahoma Department of Rehabilitation Services hosted the event that was held at the Oklahoma History Center and brought together hundreds of people with disabilities, their families and their supporters.

Harlan served as the communications director for the Oklahoma Department of Rehabilitation Services and was a tireless champion for Oklahomans with disabilities. Through the years, her work told the stories of thousands of DRS clients who were achieving their dreams of building a career and living independently. 

Read more about People with Disabilities Awareness Day
2025 Oklahoma Regional Braille Challenge

Oklahoma student wins regional Braille Challenge medals at Oklahoma School for Blind


MUSKOGEE –– Forty-five Oklahoma students competed at OSB for medals and prizes in the annual academic competition sponsored by Braille Institute of America in the United States and Canada.

“Reading is core to any person’s education,” Faye Miller, Oklahoma School for the Blind’s Orientation and Mobility Specialist and event coordinator, said. “For students who are blind it’s no different, Braille just happens to be their method to literacy. A good foundation in braille gives the students skills to proper grammar and spelling.”

 

Read more about OSB’s Braille Challenge Winners
Five people pose for a photo holding 150,000 big check.

OK School for the Deaf’s Senior Citizens’ Hearing Aid Program gets needed boost thanks to a Masonic Charity Foundation grant

EDMOND – The Masonic Charity Foundation of Oklahoma awarded the Oklahoma School for the Deaf’s Senior Citizen Hearing Aid Program $150,000 grant for 2025.

Many Oklahoma seniors live on fixed incomes and without this assistance are unable to get hearing support or specialized equipment designed to alert those who are hard of hearing or deaf.

“Thanks to this generous grant, we will be able to serve more than 400 clients this year,” OSD Superintendent Heather Laine said. “Clients will not only benefit from hearing aids, but they could receive other specialized technology.”

Read more about OSD’s Senior Citizens’ Hearing Aid Program

DRS Helped Me

Check out our pages on Services for the Blind and Visually Impaired and Vocational Rehabilitation employment services programs.

Go to the Services that will help
Brent-and-Mark

Two new leadership team members join the Oklahoma Department of Rehabilitation Services

OKLAHOMA CITY — The Oklahoma Department of Rehabilitation Services welcomes two new staff members to its leadership team.

“I am happy to announce Brent Pearce as the new Superintendent of the Oklahoma School for the Blind,” said DRS Executive Director Melinda Fruendt. “Brent brings more than two decades of experience in education and administration to this role, including his recent tenure as Interim Superintendent and High School Principal at OSB. His leadership journey has also included roles as assistant superintendent, junior high and high school principal and Athletic Director at Porum Public Schools.

Read more Pearce and Beutler
OSD Bison photo collage of all the players on the team.

Three-Peat! Oklahoma School for the Deaf GPSD Football Champions

SULPHUR, Okla.- Oklahoma School for the Deaf won the Great Plains Schools for the Deaf football championship for the third year in a row.

“This incredible achievement is a testament to the hard work, determination, and talent of our athletes,” OSD Superintendent Heather Laine said.

OSD’s football team plays eight-man football and competes against schools for the deaf from other states and public-school districts in this state.

“A huge shoutout to our 1st-year head coach, Sean Thomas Sledd and his coaching team for leading the team to success and continuing this winning journey. Your leadership and dedication have made all the difference,” Laine said.

Read more about OSD's football champions
Three young girls with Cane Quest tee shirts and metals around their necks, smile big for the camera.

12th Annual Oklahoma Regional Cane Quest to be held Nov. 6

MUSKOGEE -- Oklahoma School for the Blind will be hosting its 12th annual Oklahoma Region Cane Quest with 43 eager students who are blind or visually impaired ready to prove their white cane proficiency. This competition will begin at noon on Nov. 6 at the school.

Contestants, with white canes as their guides, will identify obstacles and changes in surfaces, such as drop-offs at stairs or curbs, in a quest for medals and prizes. 

Read more about OSB Cane Quest Nov. 6
Group of people walking with canes.

White Cane Safety Awareness Day 2024

TULSA – White cane users with visual disabilities and sighted supporters will celebrate National White Cane Safety ­­­Awareness Day from 10:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Oct. 15 with a walk through the heart of downtown Tulsa.

Services for the Blind and Visually Impaired, a division of the Oklahoma Department of Rehabilitation Services, will host this year’s event. SBVI staff invites participants to gather in Williams Green Park, 61 E 3rd St, in downtown Tulsa.

Read more about White Cane Day on Oct. 15
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