2016 Lex Frieden Employment Awards Winners and Luncheon
For Immediate Distribution
October 7, 2016
(512) 463-1826
Office Of The Governor’s Committee On People With Disabilities Announces 2016 Lex Frieden Employment Awards Winners
AUSTIN – The Office of the Governor’s Committee on People with Disabilities today announced the winners of the 2016 Lex Frieden Employment Awards. Named for Texas disability rights champion Lex Frieden, the awards are bestowed upon Texans who have displayed a commitment to empowering their employees, co-workers, and fellow Texans with disabilities.
“This year’s award recipients have been inspirational in providing opportunity for all Texans to thrive in the workplace,” said Governor Abbott. “Their dedicated service is a powerful reminder that we are not defined by life’s challenges – we are defined by how we respond to those challenges. Each of our honorees has risen to the challenges set before them and helped build a brighter future for their fellow Texans.”
2016 Lex Frieden Employment Award Winners:
The Governor’s Trophy – David Myers, Director (Retired), Office for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services and Texas Commission for the Deaf
Entrepreneurship Award – Jason Shaw, Blue Paw Energy Service (Austin)
Large Employer Award – CyraCom (Houston)
Medium Employer Award – Starbucks (Houston Heights)
Small Employer Award – Howdy Homemade (Dallas)
Non-profit Employer – Texas Rush Soccer Club (Houston)
Martha Arbuckle Award for a Local Committee Project – Camp SURGE (Grayson County College)
The winners of the 2016 Lex Frieden Employment Awards will be honored at a ceremony luncheon co-hosted by the Governor’s Committee on People With Disabilities, the Houston Mayor’s Committee on Employment of People with Disabilities and the Greater Houston Business Leadership Network on October 27, 2016 at 11:00 a.m. at the Crowne Plaza Houston. The ceremony is sponsored by Amerigroup, Adaptive Driving Access (ADA), the Texas Rehabilitation Association (TRA), Hanger Prosthetics, Touchstone and New Life Medical Equipment.
This year’s keynote speaker will be Brent Shiver, Ph.D., an Advisory Software Engineer on the Accessibility Technology & Innovation team at IBM Research. Dr. Shiver focuses on designing and developing software that addresses accessibility issues and enables others to develop accessible products. He has been deaf since age two and currently serves as a Board Member with the Texas School for the Deaf Foundation and is an assistant wrestling coach at the Texas School for the Deaf.
For more information on the awards, http://gov.texas.gov/disabilities/awards/employment_awards/
To register for the award luncheon, visit http://www.hmcepd.org/
Tickets are $35 per person.