Lex Frieden Employment Awards - Winners
2012 Lex Frieden Employment Award winners
The Governor's Trophy
Stephen Booher, City of Arlington
The Governor's Trophy is the Governor's Committee's highest honor and is awarded each year to the person who has achieved the highest success in enhancing the empowerment and employment of Texans with disabilities. The Governor's Trophy recognizes long-term commitment and outstanding efforts at both the community and the state level.
Stephen Booher, Organizational Development Specialist in the Workforce Services Department of the City of Arlington, is involved daily in organizations which are at the forefront of the fight for better and continued advancement in all areas of human rights. Since 2008, Mr. Booher has been a board member of Helping Restore Abilities. He is a member of the Arlington Mayor's Committee for People with Disabilites and, as a member, interacts with the Cowboy Stadium design team on various issues. He has served on the Dallas Mayor's Committee for the Employment of People with Disabilities and on the Texas Instruments Diversity Network; he coached and financially supported a team to raise money for Special Olympics in the Plane Pull at DFW; as a city employee for the City of Irving, Mr. Booher worked on the Advisory Committee on Disabilities and taught classes on communicating effectively with people with disabilities; he co-chaired the Disability Expo at the Heritage Center; he worked on the plans for an accessible playground and researched other accessible playgrounds in the area. While employed with the cities of Irving and Arlington, Mr. Booher has had direct impact on the creation of services as well as the construction of two barrier-free playgrounds and was able to offer input into the needs of customers with disabilities at the new Cowboy Stadium. Mr. Booher continues to network with key people in the field of disabilities and to stay involved in activities, training, and events.
Entrepreneurship Award
Stacy Zoern, Community Cars, Inc (Pflugerville)
Stacy Zoern, who has Spinal Muscular Atrophy and uses an electric wheelchair, is the CEO of Community Cars, Inc, a corporation that manufactures low-speed electric vehicles that are purpose-built for people in wheelchairs. After finding the Kenguru vehicle online and wanting to purchase one, she learned that the company was not producing vehicles for lack of funding. She has since done everything in her power to bring the Kenguru to the market. She raised $2.5 million, obtained VISAs for the Hungarian developers to move to the United States, purchased inventory, rented a space for the factory, hired twelve engineers, welders, and other automotive assemblers, and started production. In addition to the direct job creation, her company has spent over $200,000 with other local businesses in less than one year. In the meantime, she quit her job practicing law to run Community Cars and has put 100% of her personal finances on the line for the success of Community Cars. The entire mission of Community Cars is to bring mobility, independence, and freedom to people with disabilities. The Kenguru is driven from the wheelchair, accessed by a rear ramp and hatchback. With a top speed of 25 mph, its purpose is to make the community accessible by providing people in wheelchairs with a "moped" that gets them to work, school, the store, the movies, their friends' homes, etc, at a cost well below that of a fully modified van.
Large Employer Award
Target - Austin Southwest Greatland store (Austin)
Target's philosophy regarding employing and advancing Texans with disabilities is simple: Every person deserves a chance to make a difference in another's life. When Target employs a person for its team, the company is looking for people who want to make the community a better place to live and will make sure the customer's shopping experience is pleasant and productive. Even though an individual might have a certain disability, they can have a far greater ability to promote the company's mission: Being Fast, Fun & Friendly. Whether an accommodation involves a team member's work schedule, mode of personal transportation, use of adaptive equipment, modifying a specific task or embracing the aid of a Job Coach, each person is treated as a valued employee and the managers focus on the abilities of each of their Team Members. Target provides each employee with specific training in areas that best suit their ability to be productive employees. Target has also embraced family members of employees with disabilities by allowing them to attend the monthly Employee Luncheons. All department supervisors go out of their way to make accommodations available whenever possible, such as revising job descriptions to allow a person to maintain employment.
Medium Employer Award
Image Microsystems (Austin)
Image Microsystems' commitment to community is a key driver of the company's success. As part of their community commitment, Image Microsystems sponsors Texas School for the Deaf (TSD) students through their Career Technology Education Program. By employing people who are deaf or hard of hearing and other students with disabilities, they provide paid internships-giving each student exposure to the world of technology and environmental responsibility. After graduation, these students are qualified to apply for full time employment. As much as 40% of Image Microsystems' workforce includes employees who have disabilities. Image Microsystems provides an onsite ASL interpreter to assist with employment transition, training, and ongoing support. To further promote communication, the company provides several phones capable of Video Relay Services, as well as bilingual (hearing and ASL) services to ensure communication with all employees. All of the company's facilities and services are designed with employees with disabilities in mind. Image Microsystems provides community outreach to promote the hiring of people with disabilities through speaking engagements at various organization meetings and events.
Small Employer Award
Big Lots (Denton)
At Big Lots in Denton, managers openly support the needs, diversity and opportunities for all employees and applicants, partly by being responsive to requests for work experiences from Denton ISD High School Special Education Department and from the University of North Texas summer youth program. Big Lots encourages new employees who pass six months of probation employment to consider applying for new openings in customer services or manager positions. All employees learn procedures for reporting any concerns or safety issues and can access anonymous reporting. New employees must pass a series of training prevention topics which focus on safety, workplace harassment and other communications. These are provided in verbal, visual, written, computer access and in one-to-one question and answer sessions. New employees are offered the option to re-take tests that they did not pass with no negative notation in their file for re-testing and are allowed extended time to learn their job or new tasks with dignity and are respected for their individual learning style. Employees are matched with a mentor with whom they comfortably communicate. New employees are encouraged to advocate for themselves through the mentor to feel more self-empowered. Feedback is often requested. Managers say that customers appreciate the way employees work as a team and all they do to enhance employment prospects in the community.
Non-Profit Employer
University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center (Houston)
MD Anderson's goals include becoming the "Employer of Choice" for people with disabilities. Their commitment to equal opportunity hiring practices is demonstrated in their EEO policy statement. MD Anderson worked closely with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation with its Master Plan, and went above and beyond in the upgrades and renovations of restrooms and other accessible elements (drinking fountains, telephones and other items such as interior ramps and automatic doors at double leaf doors, etc.). A new initiative by the organization development team is to expand the organization's mentoring initiative. The range of positions at MD Anderson held by employees with disabilities range from faculty members to clerical workers, including positions in-between, and both direct and indirect patient care employees. MD Anderson encourages employees to disclose both visible and invisible disabilities. MD Anderson's PeopleFirst Employee Resource Group (ERG), formed to promote a more inclusive work environment for individuals who live with disabilities and to educate all employees about individuals with disabilities in the workplace through education and advocacy, has a memberhip of 150 employees. Human Resources is collaborating with the ERG to assist with advocating for employees with disabilities to self-identify without fear.
Martha Arbuckle Award for a Local Committee
Employment Alliance for People with Disabilities (Corpus Christi)
Workforce Solutions of the Coastal Bend in partnership with Department of Assistive and
Rehabilitative Services co-founded the Employment Alliance for People with Disabilities
(EAPD) in May 2011. The leadership of the EAPD includes an incredibly diverse, collaborative committee focused on increasing employment opportunities for people with disabilities and educating employers on how to recruit, hire and retain employees with disabilities. Breaking through barriers, the EAPD hosted a Job Fair targeted to people with disabilities and open to the public. The first of its kind in the Coastal Bend, the EAPD Job Fair was held at Del Mar College Center for Economic Development in October 2011, in celebration of National Disability Employment Awareness Month. Leveraging the strengths and resources of the community it serves, the EAPD Job Fair was produced entirely through in-kind donations, which included public transportation shuttles and accommodations such as large print/Braille, sighted guides and certified ASL Interpreters to guarantee that all attendees had equal access. The EAPD Job Fair helped to create a culture of access and inclusion in the workplace with regional employers by inviting them to join the EAPD, and encouraging them to request specific training and resource information and additional resources relative to the economic benefits of welcoming individuals with disabilities as both employees and customers. The EAPD Job Fair received local media attention that helped to influence and change cultural attitudes and to promote effective workplace practices that ensure that today's workforce is inclusive of all people. The EAPD Job Fair was an outstanding success with over 350 attendees from throughout the Coastal Bend region, most of whom were job seekers with disabilities, and 40 private-sector employers present. The EAPD is set to host the 2nd Annual EAPD Job Fair in October 2012.
2011 Lex Frieden Employment Award Winners
The Governor's Trophy
Scott Tisdall, Walgreen's (Waxahachie)
The Governor's Trophy is the Governor's Committee's highest honor and is awarded each year to the person who has achieved the highest success in enhancing the empowerment and employment of Texans with disabilities. The Governor's Trophy recognizes long-term commitment and outstanding efforts at both the community and the state level.
Scott Tisdall, manager of the Walgreen's Distribution Center in Waxahachie, is often contacted by major corporate leaders from all over the U.S. for his advice on hiring and retaining employees with disabilities. He is known for broadening the scope of the ADA accommodations requirements to the highest level, integrating the employees with disabilities comfortably into the culture and environment of the workplace. To bring more hands-on learning to leaders in the business community, Mr. Tisdall encourages educational tours for business managers, community leaders and local school districts. Sign language interpreters, walkie-talkies with texting capabilities, Ubi-Duos, and other technology are common in the Distribution Center, as are such amenities as a mini-workout center, field trips, and other community-building projects and ideas. Mr. Tisdall is also known within the community for his personal efforts and contributions to programs such as day camps, golf tournaments, accessible transportation, etc.
Large Employer Award
PCSI Inc (Killeen)
Professional Contract Services Inc (PSCI) was founded on the simple premise that people with disabilities, given opportunity and support, will not only be successful, but will excel in the workplace. At PCSI, the mindset is that at the local level, supervisors must be able to effectively communicate with and accommodate employees with disabilities; therefore, supervisors undergo extensive training which gives them the necessary tools to ensure their employees are able to perform their jobs to the best of their abilities. PCSI is made up of employees with disabilities from the most entry-level position through the ranks all the way up to administration status, such as those working at corporate headquarters and in on-site supervisory roles. PCSI provides accommodations that range from transportation needs, to cell phones with texting capabilities for communication between employees and supervisors, to necessary time off for specific health needs. "One way in which we create a win-win situation is by going out of our way to make accommodations for our staff," says Vanessa Ferguson of PCSI. "Through our combined efforts, many of our employees have excelled and been recognized locally and nationally."
Medium Employer Award
Johnson Controls (San Antonio)
Johnson Controls San Antonio is a heavy metal fabrication shop which has declared a serious commitment to diversity and inclusion in their practices involving hiring, training, and maintaining employees. The San Antonio office employs a large number of employees who are deaf or hard of hearing, and members of the staff in the Human Resources Department have learned American Sign Language to facilitate communications. The presence of employees with hearing impairments has sparked communication awareness among all the employees at Johnson Controls and has encouraged many of them to voluntarily learn ASL in classes offered onsite. John Rivas of Johnson Controls says, "Our deaf and hard of hearing employees have been dependable and excellent performers. They have adapted well to the requirements and demands of their jobs. The reciprocal benefits have been tremendous and enormously rewarding."
Small Employer Award
Taco Cabana #278 (Austin)
Taco Cabana #278 is dedicated to hiring individuals according to their abilities and strengths. Currently, sign language is used with two employees who are deaf, and positive verbal prompts are used during work assignments for another employee with autism. The manager and staff are all supportive of the role of people with disabilities within their organization, and the three employees with disabilities have shown significant progress in their working skills and social/vocational interactions. The camaraderie and genuine respect among all of the staff from Taco Cabana #278 is an essential part of the work environment.
Non-Profit Employer Award
Laredo Independent School District (Laredo)
Laredo ISD has employees with disabilities in various levels of the school district, including those who work as educators, bookkeepers, office personnel, custodial staff and administrators. All employees have opportunities for advancement to any position in which they are able to perform the essential functions of the job. "Our philosophy and policies extend from recruiting the most highly qualified faculty and staff to addressing the needs of our employees in an effort to retain a highly qualified workforce," says Edna Garza of Laredo ISD. "Our aim is to ensure equal opportunity to all of our employees and to provide the necessary accommodations to ensure this."
Martha Arbuckle Award for a Local Committee
Texas RehabACTion Network (TRAN) of the Coastal Bend (Corpus Christi)
In the three years since its formation, TRAN has used outreach and innovative techniques to inform the population of the Coastal Bend of the existence of a valuable underutilized resource available to the labor market: qualified, well-trained individuals with disabilities, eager to prove their capability to perform well on the job when offered the opportunity. TRAN's primary efforts were the Annual Coastal Bend Walk ‘n Roll Celebration, which began in 2009 by bringing together local branches of organizations such as the Center for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, South Texas Lighthouse for the Blind, Workforce Solutions of the Coastal Bend, and others; and its leading role in organizing the Employers' Symposium: "Opening Doors, Creating Opportunities" with special guest speaker Assistant Secretary of Labor Kathleen Martinez. Both programs continued, with increased visibility and participation, in 2010, and will be offered again in 2011.
2010 Lex Frieden Employment Award Winners
Large Employer Award
Bank of America (Dallas)
Bank of America continually strives to enhance the experience of their associates with disabilities and to actively attract, hire and retain people with disabilities at all levels of the company. This commitment is evidenced programs and services such as their Accommodation Services, Disability Accommodation Fund, Alternative Format Communication Program, and Outreach and Recruiting Activities. From the nation's largest Talking ATM network to unprecedented associate accommodation programs, Bank of America is committed to higher standards in serving people with disabilities. For providing online accessibility, Bank of America makes the Web more accessible to people who use adaptive technologies based on priorities established by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), and shares comprehensive accessibility information with all visitors to the Bank of America Accessible Banking Web site, as well as partnering with a variety of Web accessibility specialists and conducting usability tests to help ensure a friendly and usable Web experience.
Medium Employer Award
Holiday Inn Midtown Austin (Austin)
The Holiday Inn Austin Midtown sets the bar for other hotels. Working in close partnership with the AISD Clifton Center, the Holiday Inn Austin Midtown Management Team put together a most impressive hospitality internship program whereby students with a disability graduate, having learned a variety of marketable hotel industry skills developed "by the industry and for the industry". During the year-long internship program, students are paired in each work station with a Workplace Mentor. Mentors are experienced hotel staff who received specialized training by AISD to enhance their ability to work with students who have a disability. Holiday Inn Austin Midtown promotes the use of Job Coaches to assist an applicant wherever needed including completing the job application, assisting during the interview and recommending work accommodations once hired.
Small Employer Award
Gold Star Medical Business Services (San Angelo)
Early in 2010, Elizabeth Maciejewski, owner of Gold Star, was introduced to representatives of the Texas Department of Assistive and Rehabilitative Services and Concho Valley Supported Employment Services. These organizations provided Gold Star with excellent candidates for billing rep positions within the company. Gold Star began a systematic marketing campaign to recruit new clients. From January 2010 to the present, clientele has almost doubled. At this time, 60% of the Gold Star reps are individuals with physical disabilities. Gold Star Medical's employment model allows individuals to work from home, and affords them flexible hours in which to work. Gold Star is currently developing an online, web-based job training program that will allow prospective employees and reps the ability to complete over 80-90% of their training in a home-based, self-paced environment. The projected completion date of this training program is September 2010. This will open up the prospective employee pool to the entire State of Texas, and eventually the 50 contiguous states.
Non-Profit Employer Award
PRIDE Industries (El Paso)
With more than 40 years of expertise and experience in preparing people with disabilities for employment, PRIDE provides vocational training, counseling and support to individuals with disabilities and other employment barriers, helping people develop the technical and work skills they need to obtain and sustain employment, becoming contributing members of their communities. PRIDE recruits, employs and advances careers for people with disabilities in Texas through its Directorate of Public Works contract performing base-wide facilities services at Fort Bliss and by partnering with state agencies and other organizations to place individuals with disabilities in community employment. Simple but meaningful accommodations made at the El Paso office include inventory coding in Braille, TDD devices or use of interpreters for interviewing potential employees, and special support for veterans with disabilities.
The Governor's Trophy
Ron Lucey, DARS (Austin)
The Governor's Trophy is the Governor's Committee's highest honor and is awarded each year to the person who has achieved the highest success in enhancing the empowerment and employment of Texans with disabilities. The Governor's Trophy recognizes long-term commitment and outstanding efforts at both the community and the state level.
As chair of the Austin Mayor's Committee for People with Disabilities, Ron Lucey has represented people with disabilities in Central Texas on all relevant issues. He is a tireless advocate in meeting and/or talking with citizens, policy makers, elected officials, and agency staff representative on the various topics and issues impacting the lives of persons with disabilities. Ron has provided testimony to countless Texas Legislative Subcommittees on various disability issues. Other efforts include serving as a City Commissioner and Chair of the Austin Mayor's Committee for People with Disabilities, and providing accessibility policy recommendations to the City Council and Austin's past four Mayors. He has held several positions at DARS and its legacy agency, the Texas Commission for the Blind, which included the establishment of an automated statewide information and referral system and the creation of a blindness prevention program. He also is active in many community programs for people with disabilities, including Knowbility, Access U, and others, and has provided expertise and advice to organizations throughout the city and state.
Entrepreneurship Award
Jane Thomas, Apple Specialty Advertising (San Antonio)
The Entrepreneurship Award is awarded to a living entrepreneur with a disability who has shown extraordinary ingenuity and drive to create and sustain a successful business that has created jobs and accessible services.
Jane Thomas has been a T10 Paraplegic for over twenty five years. She suffered a spinal cord injury in her teens. Today she is owner of Apple Specialty Advertising (ASA), a full-service marketing and promotional products company. Jane has implemented the company's strategic goals and objectives in addition to running the day to day operations as they relate to client development, financial oversight and marketing strategies. Jane is always looking for ways to improve marketing strategies, increasing revenues and reducing business expenses. She employs a user-friendly industry website which enabled her clients to view over 750,000 available products. She uses an internet based industry system to process purchase orders and invoice clients on line. In 2009, Jane initialed the use of Constant Contact, an internet based program that allows her to generate direct marketing pieces for our clients. Jane is the top selling sales representative for the company, and has been since its inception. Jane is also the company graphic designer, who creates camera-ready layouts for all orders requiring artwork (which is nearly every order). Besides her work at Apple Specialty, Jane is actively involved in many community organizations, including the South San Antonio Chamber of Commerce, San Antonio Independent Living Services, the City of San Antonio Disability Access Advisory Committee, and the Texas Disabled Veteran's Association (Honorary Member).