DRS to Host Third Education and Outreach EXPO at Oklahoma School for the Deaf 

“Celebrate the Past, Embrace the Future” is the theme for the third annual Education and Outreach EXPO, hosted by the Oklahoma Department of Rehabilitation Services, on Thursday, Oct. 13 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Friday, Oct. 14 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Oklahoma School for the Deaf in Sulphur, Okla.

The EXPO celebrates more than 80 years of providing services to individuals with disabilities and is open to the public including all DRS employees, DRS consumers, educational and medical providers, community partners, advocates, parents and students.

Services offered by the various DRS Divisions and their partners will be highlighted, providing the public with information on issues faced within the disability community. Educational workshops relating to disability awareness will be offered including assistive technology for the visually impaired, hearing loss basics, social security, deaf awareness and deaf culture, and the Oklahoma Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped. Training credits and CEU’s will be available.

More than 20 exhibitors will showcase their services at the EXPO. Food booths in the gym will be open for lunch from 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Thursday, and 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday. The food court will be open from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Thursday and 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Friday for snacks.

Register for the DRS EXPO 2011 at www.surveymonkey.com/s/DRSEXPO2011. This will allow you to specify the dates you plan to attend and indicate your need for room accommodations. Completing this form will insure you are pre-registered and will ease the registration process upon your arrival.

In 2010, the Oklahoma Department of Rehabilitation Services served 84,942 Oklahomans with disabilities through employment, vocational rehabilitation, residential and outreach education, independent living services and the determination of medical eligibility for Social Security disability benefits. For more information, visit www.okdrs.gov or phone 800-845-8476. The number is accessible by telecommunications equipment for the deaf.

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