Congresswoman becomes Oklahomaâs third current delegate with the distinction.
Honoring her commitment to a federal program designed to increase employment opportunities of people with disabilities, Dale Rogers Training Center (DRTC), along with NewView Oklahoma, proudly presented the AbilityOneÂź Congressional Champion Award to Congresswoman Stephanie Bice (OK-05) in her district office.
Congresswoman Bice demonstrated her support of the AbilityOneÂź Program through use of products made by partner agencies, as well as a site visit at Tinker Air Force Base in August, where she learned about DRTCâs custodial and food service contracts, and NewView Oklahomaâs products including wooden airplane chocks, hydraulic hoses and more.
âSupporting the AbilityOneÂź Program provides another voice that promotes disability-inclusion in the workplace and community,â said DRTC Executive Director Deborah Copeland, M.Ed. âWeâre thankful Congresswoman Bice has placed this priority on a historically under-represented part of the workforce.â
Congresswoman Bice joins Senator James Lankford and Congressman Tom Cole as Oklahomaâs current delegates to hold the distinction from the AbilityOneÂź Program, which employs nearly 60,000 people nationwide through 575 nonprofit agencies (SourceAmericaÂź, Fiscal Year 2022).
âI am honored to receive the AbilityOne Congressional Champion Award,â said Congresswoman Bice. âAbilityOne employees are crucial in the day-to-day operations at Tinker Air Force Base and at numerous other facilities throughout the United States. I was overjoyed to have the ability to meet many of these inspiring individuals and l will continue working to support them during my time in Congress.â
According to a recent Mathematica report, the AbilityOneÂź Program generates $2.66 to the federal government for every $1 spent on the program. DRTC has a total economic impact of $2 million through its federal contracts held through SourceAmericaÂź, an AbilityOneÂź Program (Mathematica Socioeconomic Impact Evaluation Report).
DRTC has held the food service contract at Tinker Air Force Base for 30-years, preparing meals for military and civilian personnel around-the-clock. In addition, DRTC holds custodial contracts at Tinker Air Force Base, the FAA Mike Monroney Aeronautical Center, and the Federal Courthouse, Federal Post Office, the Oklahoma City Federal Building, and the Murrah Plaza in downtown Oklahoma City. Combined, nearly 300 staff work on these contracts.
NewView Oklahoma, a National Industries for the Blind (NIB) and AbilityOneÂź associated agency, provides employment for individuals who are blind or living with low vision. The agency employs 120 full-time employees through AbilityOneÂź contracts, and 186 employees organization-wide.
Congresswoman Stephanie Bice (OK-05) spent part of her August recess learning how people with disabilities serve as a critical component for the federal government and the United States military.
Rep. Bice recently toured Vanwey Dining Facility, operated by Dale Rogers Training Center (DRTC), at Tinker Air Force Base. DRTC has held the food service contract through SourceAmericaÂź, an AbilityOneÂź Program, for 30-years, preparing meals for military and civilian personnel around-the-clock. In addition, DRTC holds custodial contracts at TAFB, cleaning 188 buildings on base in support of the mission at Tinker.
NewView Oklahoma, a National Industries for the Blind (NIB) and AbilityOneÂź associated agency, participated in Rep. Biceâs visit as well. NewView Oklahoma provides employment for individuals who are blind or living with low vision. The agency employs 120 full-time employees through AbilityOneÂź contracts, and 186 employees organization-wide. Those employees serve in various capacities through service contracts at military installations across the country, including Tinker Air Force Base. NewView also offers employment through their Oklahoma City manufacturing plant where they manufacture a diverse range of products including wooden airplane chalks, DLA hoses, hydraulic hoses, high pressure hoses, sanitation products, survival kits, first aid kits, and more.
AbilityOneÂź Program employees from both DRTC and NewView Oklahoma spoke with Congresswoman Bice about the importance of the employment program in their lives. Rep. Bice also learned more about the AbilityOneÂź Program from DRTC Executive Director/CEO Deborah Copeland, M.Ed., and NewView Oklahoma President & CEO Lauren Branch and how people with disabilities have gained meaningful employment through contracts via SourceAmericaÂź and NIB.
DRTC employs approximately 200 people at Tinker Air Force Base, among its three contracts on base.
âThrough employment, our staff have been able to support their families, advance their careers, and develop their skills,â said Deborah Copeland. Executive Director and CEO of DRTC. âThe AbilityOneÂź Program continues to prove its worth, generating $2.66 to the federal government for every one-dollar spent on the program.â (Mathematica Socioeconomic Impact Evaluation Report)
The unemployment rate for Americans living with vision-related disabilities is 67%; that equates to more than 48,000 Oklahomans eligible but not participating in the workforce. âThe AbilityOneÂź program is a vital federal program that protects and encourages the employment of individuals living with disabilities. Without it, many of our neighbors would remain unemployed,â said Lauren Branch, President and CEO of NewView Oklahoma.
DRTC recognized Col. Abigail Ruscetta, Commander, 72nd Air Base Wing, Tinker Air Force Base, Congresswoman Bice, and Senator Markwayne Mullin (whose staff attended the event) with a commemorative acrylic manufactured at the agencyâs headquarters located at 2501 N. Utah Ave. in Oklahoma City.
Dale Rogers Training Center (DRTC), Inc., a nonprofit agency that provides training and jobs for people with disabilities in Oklahoma, earned a Three-Year Accreditation from the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF) International.
The Three-Year Accreditation, which is the highest level awarded by CARF, is DRTCâs third consecutive certification at the three-year rating since 2011.
âThe results of our latest CARF survey are a testament to our commitment to person-centered philosophy, as well as to the hard work and dedication of the staff at DRTC who ensure quality services for those served by the agency,â said Connie Thrash McGoodwin, M.Ed., DRTC executive director.
Surveyors visiting DRTC witnessed the agencyâs commitment to offering programs and services that are measurable, accountable and of the highest quality. In their report, they mentioned strengths in many areas, including customized services for clients, a high level of satisfaction from the parents & caregivers of those served, and an engaged and dedicated Board of Directors.
âThis was one of the most thorough CARF surveys DRTC has ever been part of and we are absolutely thrilled with the results,â added Thrash McGoodwin. âThe latest accreditation further solidifies DRTC as a champion of promoting the unique capabilities of people with disabilities whom we help gain independence through employment and work opportunities.â
About DRTC: Dale Rogers Training Center (DRTC) is the oldest and largest community vocational training and employment center for people with disabilities in Oklahoma. With multiple locations in Oklahoma, DRTC trains or employs more than 1,100 people with disabilities per year. Visit us online:Â DRTC.org.
About CARF International: Founded in 1966, CARF International is an independent, nonprofit accreditor of health and human services. Through accreditation, CARF assists service providers in improving the quality of their services, demonstrating value, and meeting internationally recognized organizational and program standards. Learn more about the accreditation process at CARF.org.
How do you tell someone they no longer have a job? What about thousands of people?
How do you tell a person they wonât have necessary support at his/her group home and may end up homeless?
What would you say to people with disabilities who may not understand why these things are happening, but are suddenly thrust into a position no fault of their own?
These questions, and many more, loom as state agencies face the unenviable task of slashing budgets in the midst of the current funding shortfall in Oklahoma.
Since 1953, Dale Rogers Training Center (DRTC) has provided more than training and jobs for people with disabilities. DRTC has, among other things, offered a chance for those served to connect with one another, to grow personally and professionally, and to learn to advocate for themselves. The added benefit helps create hundreds of tax-paying citizens every year, who also contribute in many other ways in the community.
However, the funding well continues to pump ever so slowly in a state that hangs its hat on the oil and gas industry.
Countdown to zero
The most pressing concern now is funding the last two months of the current fiscal year. Without supplemental funding, agencies like the Oklahoma Department of Human Services (OKDHS) will have zero dollars to provide necessary programs and services to people, many of them vulnerable, statewide.
Funding measures are currently working through the legislature in an attempt to close the FY17 gap.
Contributing Oklahomans
A DRTC Employment Training Specialist helps an individual through the job search process.
Dale Rogers Training Center, Oklahomaâs oldest and largest community vocational training and employment center for people with disabilities, serves 1,100 people every year. Last program year, the people with disabilities in its programs earned $5.3 million, paying taxes and not relying on government subsidies. They work in the community with you. They volunteer at many of the other nonprofits youâve heard about. They are contributing Oklahomans.
Of the 1,100 people DRTC serves, 123 people work on the nonprofitâs main campusâlocated within six miles of the Capitol where costly decisions are being made. The rest of the individuals work in the community and on federal contracts.
Funding levels
State fundingâwhich applies to 60 people at DRTCâprovides opportunities in the Vocational Services Program, before and after hours care, and group training classes.
In Home Supports Waiver (IHSW)âimpacts 32 people at DRTC âprovides opportunities in DRTCâs Employment Services, Mobile Workforce, Special Needs and Vocational Services Programs, while also allowing for job coaching and services, transportation and additional areas of support that promote training and employment. These waivers receive federal matching dollars (approximately 60 cents for every 40 cents Oklahoma contributes), based on a review of the previous three years. Adults on IHSW receive just $20,671 a year to spend on all services (including vocational training and supports).
âTerrible to unthinkableâ
The response to Oklahomaâs budget shortfall has already taken its toll.
Agencies have been asked repeatedly to slash budgets, make adjustments, and find ways to continue providing services with less and less money.
Already, agencies have been asked to submit budget proposals factoring a 14% reduction in services.
The Oklahoma Department of Human Services recently submitted its proposal for Fiscal Year 2018âwith cuts described by OKDHS Director Ed Lake as, ââŠranging from the terrible to the unthinkable.â
Slashing OKDHS services up to 14% would reduce the agencyâs operating budget by an expected $147 million and force tough decisions to either reduce or eliminate entire programs including State funded community services and the IHSW.
Statewide, OKDHS serves more than 3,100 children and adults with disabilities with these two programs alone.
These proposed cuts could lead to an even greater number of those without a jobâthe people who care for people with disabilities through IHSW and the caregivers who may have to quit work to care for their loved ones.
Waiting in line
Additional state agencies that help people with disabilities are also feeling the effects of the failing budget.
Oklahomaâs Department of Rehabilitation Services (OKDRS), which contracts services with DRTCâs Employment Services Program, set up a waiting list in January 2017 for two groups of applicants with less severe disabilities due to rising costs and state budget cuts. Two months later, the agency expanded its waiting list to all new applicants for vocational rehabilitation and employment services.
These people are now âin lineâ to receive services to find work in Oklahoma. OKDRS will release those on the wait list, making them available for services, as funding becomes available.
According to OKDRS, staff helped 2,125 people find jobs in FY16. These individuals each paid, on average, $3,144 in taxes, reducing their need for disability benefits and social services.
Advocates needed
As DRTC helps promote self-advocacy skills to people with disabilities, the same is needed from you.
Research legislation making its way through the legislature
Bottom line: cutting services for people with disabilities will further hurt the stateâs bottom line.
Advocate early. Advocate often. Advocate for the people of Oklahoma.
About Dale Rogers Training Center
Dale Rogers Training Center (DRTC) is the oldest and largest community vocational training and employment center for people with disabilities in Oklahoma. With multiple locations in Oklahoma, DRTC trains or employs more than 1,100 people with disabilities per year. Visit us online:Â DRTC.org.
Eager job seekers listen intently, take notes and soak up information hoping it will help them in their next employment opportunity.
Itâs a break from the typical job hunt through Dale Rogers Training Centerâs (DRTC) Employment Services Program, which helps people with disabilities find, train for, and keep jobs in the community. Today, a group of University of Central Oklahoma (UCO) students is putting on a presentation to educate them about what to do and not to do when seeking a job and working.
DRTC Employment Services Program participants and UCO students.
Elyse Barnett, Abby Graham and Jordan Michela, all seniors at UCO, developed the presentation as part of their Corporate Training and Consulting class, led by Dr. Christy Vincent. Working in tandem with Linda Sechrist, DRTC Employment Services Manager, the students conducted a training needs assessment and developed their topics and activities based off this feedback.
âThe presentation was well planned, and the materials and handouts were appropriate for individuals in attendance,â said Linda. âThe activities were not only instructional but also fun.â
Presentation praise
LaQuoya, seated left, enjoys the presentation by UCO students on job readiness.
LaQuoya, who has done housekeeping work for 10 years, enjoyed the presentation, particularly the sections on being respectful and body language.
âI like to work,â LaQuoya said. âI want to do an office job.â
The topics covered also served as a refresher for some participants, like Evan, looking to find their next work opportunity.
âIâm always on time,â Evan beamed. âI hope to work in the medical field.â
Evan participates in the UCO students’ presentation.
Employment Services Program participants learned about several topics, including the importance of making a good first impression, professionalism, and communicating with colleagues, customers and bosses.
âWe hope youâre successful in that first day and beyond,â Jordan told program participants during her portion of the presentation.
âI felt like I had a personal investment in it,â said Elyse, whose sister has Prader-Willi syndrome.
âI think we had a passion for it,â Abby said of their collaboration.
More training to be done
For Abby, Elyse and Jordan, this is the culmination of months of preparation. However, their work doesnât end here. Their full presentation will be used by DRTCâs Employment Services Program as part of its vocational preparation class and could even be used for the agencyâs Transition School-to-Work Program which helps provide job training to high school juniors and seniors with disabilities.
DRTC Employment Training Specialist Josh, right, listens to the description from an Employment Services Program participant during a communication exercise.
DRTC Employment Training Specialists assist program participants in an activity during the UCO students’ presentation.
DRTC Employment Services Program participants and UCO students.
DRTC/UCO partnership
This isnât the first time Dale Rogers Training Center has teamed up with students from the University of Central Oklahoma. Students with UCOâs Speech and Hearing clinic have provided therapy sessions, with guidance of a speech pathologist, every semester for people in DRTCâs various on-campus programs since 1999 on a weekly basis.
Dale Rogers Training Center (DRTC) is the oldest and largest community vocational training and employment center for people with disabilities in Oklahoma. With multiple locations in Oklahoma, DRTC trains or employs more than 1,100 people with disabilities per year. Visit us online:Â DRTC.org.
In conjunction with National Disability Employment Awareness Month, Dale Rogers Training Center (DRTC) honors the accomplishments and dedication of not only employees with disabilities, but also their employers who are promoting inclusion in the workplace.
DRTC, a nonprofit agency that provides training and jobs for people with disabilities, serves 1,100 people annually. In addition to its on campus programs and Work Projects locations, Dale Rogers Training Centerâs Employment Services program helped place 120 people in jobs throughout the OKC metro last year.
Among all DRTC programs, participants earned $5.3 million last year, allowing them to become contributing, tax-paying citizens, while reducing subsidies.
âIndividuals who find employment through DRTCâs programs perform meaningful, quality work day in and day out,â said Executive Director Connie Thrash McGoodwin, M.Ed. âWe also applaud the various businesses for employing this vital part of the workforce.â
The annual Governorâs Awards of Excellence for Disability Employment will be given during a ceremony October 18th. DRTC is excited to announce all three of its nominees will be honored:
Markus Mullin â a DRTC Employment Services participant and employee at St. Annâs Retirement Center
Clay Stephens â a DRTC Employment Services participant and employee at St. Annâs Retirement Center
Ken Holt â an employer with Embassy Suites in Norman who hires people with disabilities
What does inclusion of people with disabilities in the workforce look like? Use #InclusionWorks to find out!
About Dale Rogers Training Center
Dale Rogers Training Center (DRTC) is the oldest and largest community vocational training and employment center for people with disabilities in Oklahoma. With multiple locations in Oklahoma, DRTC trains or employs more than 1,100 people with disabilities per year. Visit us online: DRTC.org.
