Breaking barriers : DRS employee online news and information, 05/14/2013 v.2 no.9

              OK DRS Breaking Barriers - Volume 2, Edition 9 - May 14, 2013
http://www.okrehab.org/BreakingBarriers/2013/05-14/index.html[9/26/2013 10:37:59 AM]
Outstanding units win awards
Two DRS units were recognized with Quality Teamwork Awards
Thursday at the state Capitol.
The DRS Cold Case Unit was honored for their commitment to
“Opening doors to independence and cool jobs with benefits for
people with disabilities.” The Cold Case Unit developed a plan to
locate lost clients, and then re-establishing services or closing out
the case. With the closure, funds could then be released back into
the budget.
“I'm so proud of my team's accomplishments,” Program Manager
Jason Price said. “I really appreciate Nancy Holden, Tom Boyd and
Glenn Hatter for volunteering to attend the event with me. The fact
that Cold Case and Benefits Planning received an award is indicative
of the commitments this agency has made to taking the VR
profession to a new level.”
Stress continued→ Tell Us What YOU Think
Dealing with Stress
We live in a stressed out world.
Demands, expectations, money
problems, health issues, conflicts at
work – it can all add up to feeling
overwhelmed and constantly under
pressure. So how do you manage all
the stress in your daily life?
Try some of these simple tips and give
yourself a break!
1. Set limits. Stress often occurs as
a result of taking on too many
tasks or trying to do too many things at a time. Get
comfortable saying, “no,” and recognize that there are and
should be limits to what you allow yourself to focus on daily.
2. Keep a balanced perspective. When stressed, we tend to focus
only on negative things. How often have you heard, “Why did
such a terrible thing happen to me?” It’s easy to forget that
many unexplained good things happen to us too. It’s just that
we don’t normally hear people talk about those. Really, when
is the last time you heard someone say, “Why do I keep
getting hammered with so many blessings?”
News from the ground
We want Breaking Barriers to be more dynamic and better serve our
staff. You can help us do that by volunteering to be a reporter.
We are not trying to give you more work to do, but instead, we
want to develop a fun and interactive network where we can share
our news, our milestones, our concerns and our successes.
Orr continued→ Tell Us What YOU Think
Opportunity at the door
Cheryl Orr can see opportunities
walk by her office window every
day.
Orr is the vocational rehabilitation
specialist at the Southwest
Oklahoma Juvenile Center in
Manitou and sees unrealized
potential in the lives of the youthful
offenders housed at the facility. The
night before, she had attended the
baptisms of eight youth in a horse
trough outside one of the units.
“I can’t wait to get here in the
morning, and I don’t want to leave
at night,” she said.
A native of Rush Springs, Orr
attended the University of Science
and Arts in Chickasha and earned
her bachelors in psychology. She
then received her master’s from
Oklahoma State University in community counseling.
She said she always wanted a career where she could help people
with a disability.
“I knew I did not want to be a psychological counselor,” she said. “I
wanted to work with people who were blind or deaf. I was intrigued
by their courage. I was fascinated by how Helen Keller learned to
communicate.”