{"id":19738,"date":"2012-08-26T02:00:37","date_gmt":"2012-08-26T07:00:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/?p=19738"},"modified":"2012-08-26T02:48:03","modified_gmt":"2012-08-26T07:48:03","slug":"2012-lex-frieden-employment-award-winners","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/blog\/2012\/08\/26\/2012-lex-frieden-employment-award-winners\/","title":{"rendered":"2012 Lex Frieden Employment Award Winners"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Texas Governor\u2019s Committee on People with Disabilities Announces<\/strong>
\n the 2012 Lex Frieden Employment Award Winners<\/strong><\/p>\n

Since 1979, the Governor’s Committee has worked to highlight the
\nefforts of employers to hire and retain employees with disabilities,
\nand to recognize best practices that positively affect employees with
\ndisabilities within the workplace. An employer whose philosophy is to
\nsupport employment opportunities for all Texans, including people with
\ndisabilities, benefits the local community as well as the state. The
\nattitude of working as a partner in the community is considered a
\nstrength to be highlighted and encouraged by the presentation of our
\nannual Employment Awards. The active and enthusiastic promotion of
\nbusiness opportunities for people with disabilities is also an
\nimportant element in the consideration of the award. Each year during
\nthe month of October (National Disability Employment Awareness Month),
\na local committee in Texas hosts the Annual Employment Awards Ceremony,
\nand the winners in each of several categories are introduced to an
\nappreciative audience. Award categories include large, medium, and
\nsmall employers, as well as non-profit employers, the Entrepreneurship
\nAward, Martha Arbuckle Award and the Governor\u2019s Trophy<\/p>\n

Award Ceremony: This year we are pleased to collaborate with the
\nHouston Mayor\u2019s Committee for Employment of People with Disabilities on
\nthe annual awards. Join us in recognizing outstanding employers who
\nhave focused on hiring and inclusion practices in the workplace of
\npersons with disabilities.<\/p>\n

Details: Wednesday, October 24th, 2012 at 11:30am at the Hilton Houston
\nHobby Airport Hotel, 8181 Airport Blvd, Houston, Texas 77061. Luncheon
\ntickets are $30.00. Seating is limited. RSVP by October 17, 2012.
\nCONTACT Monica Falcon at 713-928-7730 or email her at
\nmonica.falcon@dars.state.tx.us for accommodations and alternative
\nformat and to RSVP by October 17, 2012.<\/p>\n

The Lex Frieden Employment Award Winners are:<\/p>\n

The Governor\u2019s Trophy<\/p>\n

Stephen Booher, City of Arlington<\/p>\n

The Governor’s Trophy is the Governor’s Committee’s highest honor and
\nis awarded each year to the person who has achieved the highest success
\nin enhancing the empowerment and employment of Texans with
\ndisabilities. The Governor’s Trophy recognizes long-term commitment and
\noutstanding efforts at both the community and the state level.<\/p>\n

Stephen Booher, Organizational Development Specialist in the Workforce
\nServices Department of the City of Arlington, is involved daily in
\norganizations which are at the forefront of the fight for better and
\ncontinued advancement in all areas of human rights. Since 2008, Mr.
\nBooher has been a board member of Helping Restore Abilities. He is a
\nmember of the Arlington Mayor’s Committee for People with Disabilites
\nand, as a member, interacts with the Cowboy Stadium design team on
\nvarious issues. He has served on the Dallas Mayor’s Committee for the
\nEmployment of People with Disabilities and on the Texas Instruments
\nDiversity Network; he coached and financially supported a team to raise
\nmoney for Special Olympics in the Plane Pull at DFW; as a city employee
\nfor the City of Irving, Mr. Booher worked on the Advisory Committee on
\nDisabilities and taught classes on communicating effectively with
\npeople with disabilities; he co-chaired the Disability Expo at the
\nHeritage Center; he worked on the plans for an accessible playground
\nand researched other accessible playgrounds in the area. While employed
\nwith the cities of Irving and Arlington, Mr. Booher has had direct
\nimpact on the creation of services as well as the construction of two
\nbarrier-free playgrounds and was able to offer input into the needs of
\ncustomers with disabilities at the new Cowboy Stadium. Mr. Booher
\ncontinues to network with key people in the field of disabilities and
\nto stay involved in activities, training, and events.<\/p>\n

Entrepreneurship Award<\/p>\n

Stacy Zoern, Community Cars, Inc (Pflugerville)<\/p>\n

Stacy Zoern, who has Spinal Muscular Atrophy and uses an electric
\nwheelchair, is the CEO of Community Cars, Inc, a corporation that
\nmanufactures low-speed electric vehicles that are purpose-built for
\npeople in wheelchairs. After finding the Kenguru vehicle online and
\nwanting to purchase one, she learned that the company was not producing
\nvehicles for lack of funding. She has since done everything in her
\npower to bring the Kenguru to the market. She raised $2.5 million,
\nobtained VISAs for the Hungarian developers to move to the United
\nStates, purchased inventory, rented a space for the factory, hired
\ntwelve engineers, welders, and other automotive assemblers, and started
\nproduction. In addition to the direct job creation, her company has
\nspent over $200,000 with other local businesses in less than one year.
\nIn the meantime, she quit her job practicing law to run Community Cars
\nand has put 100% of her personal finances on the line for the success
\nof Community Cars. The entire mission of Community Cars is to bring
\nmobility, independence, and freedom to people with disabilities. The
\nKenguru is driven from the wheelchair, accessed by a rear ramp and
\nhatchback. With a top speed of 25 mph, its purpose is to make the
\ncommunity accessible by providing people in wheelchairs with a “moped”
\nthat gets them to work, school, the store, the movies, their friends’
\nhomes, etc, at a cost well below that of a fully modified van.<\/p>\n

Large Employer Award<\/p>\n

Target \u2013 Austin Southwest Greatland store (Austin)<\/p>\n

Target’s philosophy regarding employing and advancing Texans with
\ndisabilities is simple: Every person deserves a chance to make a
\ndifference in another’s life. When Target employs a person for its
\nteam, the company is looking for people who want to make the community
\na better place to live and will make sure the customer\u2019s shopping
\nexperience is pleasant and productive. Even though an individual might
\nhave a certain disability, they can have a far greater ability to
\npromote the company\u2019s mission: Being Fast, Fun & Friendly. Whether an
\naccommodation involves a team member\u2019s work schedule, mode of personal
\ntransportation, use of adaptive equipment, modifying a specific task or
\nembracing the aid of a Job Coach, each person is treated as a valued
\nemployee and the managers focus on the abilities of each of their Team
\nMembers. Target provides each employee with specific training in areas
\nthat best suit their ability to be productive employees. Target has
\nalso embraced family members of employees with disabilities by allowing
\nthem to attend the monthly Employee Luncheons. All department
\nsupervisors go out of their way to make accommodations available
\nwhenever possible, such as revising job descriptions to allow a person
\nto maintain employment.<\/p>\n

Medium Employer Award<\/p>\n

Image Microsystems (Austin)<\/p>\n

Image Microsystems’ commitment to community is a key driver of the
\ncompany’s success. As part of their community commitment, Image
\nMicrosystems sponsors Texas School for the Deaf (TSD) students through
\ntheir Career Technology Education Program. By employing people who are
\ndeaf or hard of hearing and other students with disabilities, they
\nprovide paid internships\u2014giving each student exposure to the world of
\ntechnology and environmental responsibility. After graduation, these
\nstudents are qualified to apply for full time employment. As much as
\n40% of Image Microsystems\u2019 workforce includes employees who have
\ndisabilities. Image Microsystems provides an onsite ASL interpreter to
\nassist with employment transition, training, and ongoing support. To
\nfurther promote communication, the company provides several phones
\ncapable of Video Relay Services, as well as bilingual (hearing and ASL)
\nservices to ensure communication with all employees. All of the
\ncompany’s facilities and services are designed with employees with
\ndisabilities in mind. Image Microsystems provides community outreach to
\npromote the hiring of people with disabilities through speaking
\nengagements at various organization meetings and events.<\/p>\n

Small Employer Award<\/p>\n

Big Lots (Denton)<\/p>\n

At Big Lots in Denton, managers openly support the needs, diversity and
\nopportunities for all employees and applicants, partly by being
\nresponsive to requests for work experiences from Denton ISD High School
\nSpecial Education Department and from the University of North Texas
\nsummer youth program. Big Lots encourages new employees who pass six
\nmonths of probation employment to consider applying for new openings
\nin customer services or manager positions. All employees learn
\nprocedures for reporting any concerns or safety issues and can access
\nanonymous reporting. New employees must pass a series of training
\nprevention topics which focus on safety, workplace harassment and other
\ncommunications. These are provided in verbal, visual, written, computer
\naccess and in one-to-one question and answer sessions. New employees
\nare offered the option to re-take tests that they did not pass with no
\nnegative notation in their file for re-testing and are allowed extended
\ntime to learn their job or new tasks with dignity and are respected
\nfor their individual learning style. Employees are matched with a
\nmentor with whom they comfortably communicate. New employees are
\nencouraged to advocate for themselves through the mentor to feel more
\nself-empowered. Feedback is often requested. Managers say that
\ncustomers appreciate the way employees work as a team and all they do
\nto enhance employment prospects in the community.<\/p>\n

Non-Profit Employer<\/p>\n

University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center (Houston)<\/p>\n

MD Anderson’s goals include becoming the “Employer of Choice” for
\npeople with disabilities. Their commitment to equal opportunity hiring
\npractices is demonstrated in their EEO policy statement. MD Anderson
\nworked closely with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation
\nwith its Master Plan, and went above and beyond in the upgrades and
\nrenovations of restrooms and other accessible elements (drinking
\nfountains, telephones and other items such as interior ramps and
\nautomatic doors at double leaf doors, etc.). A new initiative by the
\norganization development team is to expand the organization’s mentoring
\ninitiative. The range of positions at MD Anderson held by employees
\nwith disabilities range from faculty members to clerical workers,
\nincluding positions in-between, and both direct and indirect patient
\ncare employees. MD Anderson encourages employees to disclose both
\nvisible and invisible disabilities. MD Anderson’s PeopleFirst Employee
\nResource Group (ERG), formed to promote a more inclusive work
\nenvironment for individuals who live with disabilities and to educate
\nall employees about individuals with disabilities in the workplace
\nthrough education and advocacy, has a memberhip of 150 employees.
\nHuman Resources is collaborating with the ERG to assist with advocating
\nfor employees with disabilities to self-identify without fear.<\/p>\n

Martha Arbuckle Award for a Local Committee<\/p>\n

Employment Alliance for People with Disabilities (Corpus Christi)<\/p>\n

Workforce Solutions of the Coastal Bend in partnership with Department
\nof Assistive and Rehabilitative Services co-founded the Employment
\nAlliance for People with Disabilities (EAPD) in May 2011. The
\nleadership of the EAPD includes an incredibly diverse, collaborative
\ncommittee focused on increasing employment opportunities for people
\nwith disabilities and educating employers on how to recruit, hire and
\nretain employees with disabilities. Breaking through barriers, the EAPD
\nhosted a Job Fair targeted to people with disabilities and open to the
\npublic. The first of its kind in the Coastal Bend, the EAPD Job Fair
\nwas held at Del Mar College Center for Economic Development in October
\n2011, in celebration of National Disability Employment Awareness Month.
\nLeveraging the strengths and resources of the community it serves, the
\nEAPD Job Fair was produced entirely through in-kind donations, which
\nincluded public transportation shuttles and accommodations such as
\nlarge print\/Braille, sighted guides and certified ASL Interpreters to
\nguarantee that all attendees had equal access. The EAPD Job Fair helped
\nto create a culture of access and inclusion in the workplace with
\nregional employers by inviting them to join the EAPD, and encouraging
\nthem to request specific training and resource information and
\nadditional resources relative to the economic benefits of welcoming
\nindividuals with disabilities as both employees and customers. The EAPD
\nJob Fair received local media attention that helped to influence and
\nchange cultural attitudes and to promote effective workplace practices
\nthat ensure that today\u2019s workforce is inclusive of all people. The EAPD
\nJob Fair was an outstanding success with over 350 attendees from
\nthroughout the Coastal Bend region, most of whom were job seekers with
\ndisabilities, and 40 private-sector employers present. The EAPD is set
\nto host the 2nd Annual EAPD Job Fair in October 2012.<\/p>\n

About the Lex Frieden Employment Awards:<\/p>\n

The Governor\u2019s Committee on People with Disabilities announced in 2011
\nthat the annual employment awards have been renamed after disability
\nrights champion and independent living movement leader Lex Frieden, one
\nof the architects of the landmark Americans with Disabilities Act of
\n1990. Frieden is the UT Chancellor’s Health Fellow on Disability, a
\nprofessor of biomedical informatics and rehabilitation at UT Health and
\ndirector of the Independent Living Research Utilization Program (ILRU)
\nat TIRR Memorial Hermann Rehabilitation Hospital. He was appointed by
\nPresident George W. Bush as chair of the National Council on Disability
\nin 2002, and also served an eight-year term on the United Nations Panel
\nof Experts on the Standard Rules for Disability. Frieden is author or
\nco-author of more than 60 articles on independent living, disability
\nrights and rehabilitation. He has received two Presidential Citations
\nfor his work in the field of disability, and was awarded an honorary
\ndoctorate in law by the National University of Ireland in 2004. For
\nmore information about the awards and to see past recipients, go to
\nhttp:\/\/governor.state.tx.us\/disabilities\/awards\/employment_awards\/<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Texas Governor\u2019s Committee on People with Disabilities Announces the 2012 Lex Frieden Employment Award Winners Since 1979, the Governor’s Committee has worked to highlight the efforts of employers to hire and retain employees with disabilities, and to recognize best…<\/p>\n

Read more →<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_crdt_document":"","advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[2],"tags":[3472,21,524,14752,2815,35,166,227,637,12702,14755,14746,20,1978,14748,8124,14743,11326,14750,14753,32,14751,2220,14747,14744,1434,14749,738,14745,14754,1284,8976],"class_list":["post-19738","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-deaf-news","tag-americans-with-disabilities-act","tag-austin","tag-awards","tag-big-lots","tag-city-of-arlington","tag-community","tag-corpus-christi","tag-denton","tag-disability","tag-employer","tag-employment-alliance-for-people-with-disabilities","tag-entrepreneurship-award","tag-houston","tag-image-microsystems","tag-large-employer-award","tag-lex-frieden","tag-lex-frieden-employment-award","tag-martha-arbuckle-award","tag-medium-employer-award","tag-non-profit-employer","tag-opportunity","tag-small-employer-award","tag-small-employer-of-the-year","tag-stacy-zoern","tag-stephen-booher","tag-store","tag-target","tag-texas-governors-committee-on-people-with-disabilities","tag-the-governors-trophy","tag-university-of-texas-md-anderson-cancer-center","tag-urban-league-of-greater-dallas-and-north-central-texas","tag-winners"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p752R-58m","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":36458,"url":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/blog\/2017\/10\/13\/2017-lex-frieden-employment-awards-winners\/","url_meta":{"origin":19738,"position":0},"title":"2017 Lex Frieden Employment Awards Winners","author":"Grant Laird Jr","date":"October 13, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Governor\u2019s Committee on People with Disabilities Announces 2017 Lex Frieden Employment Awards Winners The Office of the Governor\u2019s Committee on People with Disabilities announces the winners of the 2017 Lex Frieden Employment Awards (LFEA). Named for Texas disability rights champion Lex Frieden, the awards are bestowed upon Texans who have\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "General"","block_context":{"text":"General","link":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/blog\/category\/deaf-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/lex2.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":45646,"url":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/blog\/2025\/09\/12\/governor-abbott-announces-2025-lex-frieden-employment-award-winners\/","url_meta":{"origin":19738,"position":1},"title":"Governor Abbott Announces 2025 Lex Frieden Employment Award Winners","author":"Grant Laird Jr","date":"September 12, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Governor Abbott Announces 2025 Lex Frieden Employment Award Winners Governor Greg Abbott today announced the 2025 winners of the Lex Frieden Employment Awards (LFEA) for their commitment to hiring and supporting the employment of individuals with disabilities. \"In life, we are not defined by the challenges that we face but\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "General"","block_context":{"text":"General","link":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/blog\/category\/deaf-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Governor-Abbott-Announces-2025-Lex-Frieden-Employment-Award-Winners-2025.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Governor-Abbott-Announces-2025-Lex-Frieden-Employment-Award-Winners-2025.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Governor-Abbott-Announces-2025-Lex-Frieden-Employment-Award-Winners-2025.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":25020,"url":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/blog\/2013\/10\/22\/2013-lex-frieden-employment-awards\/","url_meta":{"origin":19738,"position":2},"title":"2013 Lex Frieden Employment Awards","author":"Grant Laird Jr","date":"October 22, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"Governor\u2019s Committee on People with Disabilities 2013 Lex Frieden Employment Awards Since 1979, the Governor's Committee has worked to highlight the efforts of employers to hire and retain employees with disabilities, and to recognize Best Practices that positively affect employees with disabilities within the workplace. An employer whose philosophy is\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "General"","block_context":{"text":"General","link":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/blog\/category\/deaf-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":34429,"url":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/blog\/2016\/10\/13\/2016-lex-frieden-employment-awards-winners-and-luncheon\/","url_meta":{"origin":19738,"position":3},"title":"2016 Lex Frieden Employment Awards Winners and Luncheon","author":"Grant Laird Jr","date":"October 13, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"2016 Lex Frieden Employment Awards Winners and Luncheon For Immediate Distribution October 7, 2016 (512) 463-1826 Office Of The Governor\u2019s Committee On People With Disabilities Announces 2016 Lex Frieden Employment Awards Winners AUSTIN - The Office of the Governor\u2019s Committee on People with Disabilities today announced the winners of the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "General"","block_context":{"text":"General","link":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/blog\/category\/deaf-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"lf_medallion","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/LF_Medallion.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":38312,"url":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/blog\/2018\/10\/25\/congrats-to-axiumsolar-from-plano-texas\/","url_meta":{"origin":19738,"position":4},"title":"Congrats to\u00a0#AxiumSolar\u00a0from Plano, Texas","author":"Grant Laird Jr","date":"October 25, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Congrats to Axium Solar\u00a0from Plano, Texas Andrew Cohen gave a speech about Medium Employer Award 2018 at Lex Frieden Employment Awards.\u00a0Congrats to\u00a0#AxiumSolar\u00a0from Plano, Texas. The company currently lead 12\u00a0#deaf\u00a0out of 72 employees. YouTube:\u00a0https:\/\/youtu.be\/YqCz2vEd7s0\u00a0 Another video that Deaf Emma Faye gave a speech, too. YouTube:\u00a0https:\/\/youtu.be\/IEIInqx-epM\u00a0 Both videos by Grant Laird, Jr.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "General"","block_context":{"text":"General","link":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/blog\/category\/deaf-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":31675,"url":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/blog\/2015\/08\/21\/2015-lex-frieden-employment-awards-announced\/","url_meta":{"origin":19738,"position":5},"title":"2015 Lex Frieden Employment Awards Announced","author":"Grant Laird Jr","date":"August 21, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"2015 Lex Frieden Employment Awards Announced The Texas Governor\u2019s Committee on People with Disabilities is proud to announce the winners of this year\u2019s Lex Frieden Employment Awards! Please join us in congratulating the recipients of the awards this year; the ceremony will be held at the Fort Worth Convention Center\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "General"","block_context":{"text":"General","link":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/blog\/category\/deaf-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19738","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19738"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19738\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":19745,"href":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19738\/revisions\/19745"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19738"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19738"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/deafnetwork.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19738"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}