Lex Frieden Employment Awards
The Texas Governor’s Committee on People with Disabilities’ Annual Lex Frieden Employment Awards are named in honor of disability rights champion Lex Frieden. Frieden is one of the chief architects of the Americans with Disabilities Act and a recognized leader of the independent living movement. He is a professor of Biomedical Informatics and Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston and director of the Independent Living Research Utilization program at TIRR Memorial Hermann. As a spokesperson on disability, Frieden advises national organizations and has authored many publications.
The Governor's Committee on People with Disabilities has worked to highlight the outstanding efforts of employers to hire and retain employees with disabilities for over thirty years. The Lex Frieden Employment Awards (LFEA) are held each October to coincide with National Disability Employment Awareness Month; by recognizing these best practices in hiring and accommodation, GCPD hopes to help build an inclusive, accessible work environment for all Texans with disabilities. When an employer makes creating a supportive work environment a centerpiece of their philosophy, everyone benefits. Lex Frieden Employment Award winners are employers who see themselves as community partners, and enthusiastically promote and pursue business opportunities for people with disabilities.
2025 Texas HireAbility Employer Forum & Lex Frieden Employment Awards
Register for the 2025 Texas HireAbility Employer Forum & Lex Frieden Employment Awards on October 2 from 9:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at Morgan’s Wonderland in San Antonio, Texas.
Registration Link: https://bit.ly/TXHireAbility2025
The deadline to receive submissions for the 2025 awards has closed.
Award categories include:
- Employer Awards (Small, Medium, Large, or Non-Profit Employer): Recognizing Texas employers who have fostered a diverse and accessible workplace.
- Entrepreneurship Award: Honoring a living entrepreneur with a disability who is committed to creating and sustaining a successful business.
- Martha Arbuckle Award: Recognizing an innovative local committee project.
- Governor's Trophy: The highest honor for an individual who has achieved lifetime accomplishments in supporting Texans with disabilities.
There is NO fee for submissions. Self-nominations are encouraged.
Download the Submission Guidelines in Word
Download the Employer Awards Nomination Form in Word
Download the Entrepreneurship Nomination Form in Word
Download the Martha Arbuckle Nomination Form in Word
Download the Governor's Trophy Nomination Form in Word
2025 Lex Frieden Award Winners
Governor's Trophy Award
Judy Telge (Corpus Christi)
For more than 45 years, Judy Telge has been a tireless advocate for the rights and independence of Texans with disabilities. As co-founder of ACARE, Inc., now the Coastal Bend Center for Independent Living, she helped secure its designation as a federally recognized Center for Independent Living in Corpus Christi, where she continues to serve as Development Director and Housing Navigator.
Judy’s lifelong work spans local, state, and national levels, advancing access to housing, transportation, education, and community living under the Independent Living philosophy. Her efforts have included helping relocate people from nursing homes back into the community and for an increase in attendant care wages. Today she remains an active leader, grant writer, and systemic advocate, ensuring lasting impact on generations of Texans with disabilities.
Martha Arbuckle Award
Pharr Police Department – Mental Health Unit
Through the creation of the Mental Health Alliance, established in 2021, the Pharr Police Department–Mental Health Unit has built a collaborative network of mental health organizations, schools, workforce partners, and advocates to break down barriers and provide holistic support for individuals with disabilities. Bi-monthly alliance meetings serve as open forums for education, resource sharing, and problem-solving, ensuring that people with disabilities and their families have a voice in shaping community solutions.
Beyond the Alliance, the Mental Health Unit has launched impactful initiatives such as the Mind Matters Health Fair, connecting residents with essential health and mental health resources, and the Mental PAWS Program, which pairs retired police K9s with veterans to provide comfort and support for PTSD, anxiety, and depression. By fostering partnerships, facilitating access to critical services, and promoting inclusion, the Pharr Police Department–Mental Health Unit has significantly enhanced the quality of life for Texans with disabilities and created a model of innovation that other communities across the state can replicate.
Large Employer Award
City of Brownsville
The City of Brownsville has shown exceptional leadership in advancing employment opportunities and recruitment for people with disabilities. Through partnerships with local organizations, schools, and workforce programs, the City of Brownsville has implemented initiatives that connect individuals with disabilities to meaningful jobs within the city, career training, and long-term support. Their efforts extend beyond hiring practices by embedding accessibility into city services and fostering inclusive community engagement.
The City of Brownsville has expanded workforce pathways for youth with disabilities, collaborated with local businesses to promote inclusive hiring, and prioritized accommodations that ensure employees can fully contribute to the city’s operations. By weaving disability inclusion into its civic and workforce strategies, the City of Brownsville demonstrates how local government can serve as a model employer and community partner by building a stronger and more equitable future for all residents.
Medium Employer Award
DHL–Nike (Hutchins)
DHL–Nike has cultivated a workplace where accessibility and inclusion are embedded into every level of operations. Through intentional recruitment strategies, DHL–Nike partners with local vocational rehabilitation programs and disability organizations to create direct pathways for individuals with disabilities into the logistics industry. Employees are supported with customized onboarding, job coaching, and ongoing professional development that empower them to grow in their roles and pursue advancement opportunities. Accessibility is built into the physical workspace and reinforced through adaptive training programs, ensuring employees of all abilities can participate fully and safely in warehouse and administrative operations.
Today, people with disabilities hold roles across multiple departments, from logistics and inventory management to supervisory positions, demonstrating a culture that goes beyond compliance to true integration. DHL–Nike also engages in community partnerships that raise awareness of disability inclusion in the supply chain industry, setting a strong example for other corporations. Their model proves that when accessibility and opportunity are prioritized, businesses thrive alongside their employees—building a workforce that reflects strength in diversity.
Small Employer Award
Mermaid Café (San Antonio)
The Mermaid Café exemplifies how a small business can make a big impact by fostering a workplace that embraces inclusion and opportunity for people with disabilities. The café’s leadership has intentionally built a culture of accessibility—ensuring that hiring practices, training, and daily operations are designed to empower employees of all abilities. Staff with disabilities are actively supported through individualized accommodations, flexible scheduling, and mentorship that encourages personal and professional growth. Beyond employment, the Mermaid Café is deeply rooted in its community, serving as both a gathering place and a model of how businesses can integrate compassion with success. By combining high-quality service with an unwavering commitment to provide opportunity to employees of all abilities, the Mermaid Café has created a workplace where employees thrive, customers feel welcomed, and disability inclusion is celebrated as a core value.
Non-Profit Organization
West Texas Counseling and Guidance (San Angelo)
West Texas Counseling and Guidance (WTCG) has demonstrated exceptional leadership in building an inclusive workforce that reflects its mission of compassion and service. Growing from just 12 employees in 2012 to over 120 today, WTCG has intentionally recruited and retained individuals with disabilities, with approximately 35% of its workforce self-identifying as having a disability, including many disabled veterans. Employees with disabilities serve in diverse roles—from leadership and IT to counselors, case managers, and therapists—bringing lived experience that enhances trust and effectiveness in service delivery. WTCG goes far beyond ADA requirements by offering tailored accommodations such as flexible scheduling, specialized office equipment, and access to on-site therapy and peer support. The organization also fosters a culture of wellness and belonging through mentorship, trauma-informed supervision, and leadership development opportunities. Through these efforts, WTCG not only empowers its employees but also strengthens its impact on the community. WTCG proves that valuing the many contributions of its diverse employees creates better outcomes for all.
The Entrepreneurship Award
Kristen McNabb Pattison
Kristen McNabb Pattison is a legally blind entrepreneur and owner of KAMPFoods LLC / Café Espresso at Brooke Army Medical Center. Through the Randolph-Sheppard Program and Business Enterprises of Texas, she has built a thriving for-profit business that provides gourmet coffee and food service while employing and mentoring others. Despite significant vision loss, Kristen leads with resilience, accessibility, and compassion—creating a workplace that supports employees, including military families and individuals with disabilities, and ensuring every customer is welcomed. Her response to challenges like COVID-19, her dedication to inclusive hiring, and her advocacy within the blind entrepreneur community demonstrate ingenuity, perseverance, and a deep commitment to service.
Chairman’s Commendations
Texas Veterans Commission
The Texas Veterans Commission (TVC) has demonstrated a deep commitment to empowering Texans with disabilities through their internal hiring practices, with more than 85% of its workforce identifying as having a disability, and for their public support to hire veterans with disabilities across the state. With programs such as the Veterans Employment Services Program that prioritize job placement, career coaching, and long-term professional growth, TVC ensures veterans with service-connected disabilities can transition successfully into civilian careers. The agency actively collaborates with workforce boards, employers, and community organizations across Texas to expand hiring pipelines, while also advocating for workplace accommodations and accessibility improvements that exceed basic requirements. A key strength of TVC is its peer-to-peer model, where veterans with disabilities are supported by fellow veterans who understand their unique challenges and strengths. This approach fosters trust, resilience, and confidence among jobseekers. Beyond direct employment services, TVC also leads outreach efforts that educate employers on inclusive hiring practices and the value veterans with disabilities bring to the workforce. Their impact reaches across the state, creating a stronger, more inclusive economy where veterans with disabilities are not only hired, but supported to thrive in meaningful careers.
Cord Shiflet (Austin)
Cord Shiflet, a longtime Austin Realtor, became a driving force in the recovery of Camp CAMP following the catastrophic July 4 floods. Just days after the storm, he issued a heartfelt call for “MONEY, MANPOWER, and MACHINES,” which quickly rallied more than 300 volunteers and drew nationwide support. Under his leadership, teams of workers cleared massive amounts of debris along the riverfront, saving weeks of labor and hundreds of thousands of dollars. His compassion and determination not only restored the campgrounds but also uplifted a community in crisis. Thanks to his vision and mobilizing spirit, Camp CAMP was able to reopen within days, once again serving as a place of joy and healing for children and adults with disabilities.
Rusty Bourland (Austin)
Rusty Bourland, an Austin business owner with years of experience in disaster recovery, also played a pivotal role in rebuilding Camp CAMP after the devastating July 4 floods. Arriving just days after the storm, he immediately began coordinating cleanup efforts—directing heavy equipment, organizing volunteers, and applying lessons learned from past disasters like Hurricane Harvey. His leadership combined practical skill with deep compassion, ensuring the work was carried out with dignity and care. Thanks to Rusty’s steady guidance and tireless service, hundreds of children and adults with disabilities were able to return to a fully restored camp within days, transforming a moment of devastation into one of resilience and hope.
Read about previous Lex Frieden Employment Awards Winners
Category Descriptions and Entry Forms
The Martha Arbuckle Award recognizes the most innovative local committee project, and is presented in memory of Austin's long-time disability advocate Martha Arbuckle.
Employer Awards are given in four categories - Small Employer (25 or fewer employees), Medium Employer (26 to 500 employees), Large Employer (more than 500 employees), and Non-Profit Employer. Each category serves to recognize employers in Texas who have fostered a diverse, inclusive, and accessible workplace and who have developed innovative ways to integrate people with disabilities into the workplace.
To be nominated or apply:
- your business must include individuals with disabilities in an integrated workplace, and
- people with disabilities must make up at least ten percent of your Texas-based workforce.
This ten percent must be employees with disabilities who:
- work full or part time (at least 15 hours per week),
- in competitive, integrated employment,
- at or above minimum wage,
- are paid the same wage as employees without a disability, and
- where the employee with a disability works alongside employees without disabilities and interacts with other people without disabilities, like vendors and customers, just as much as employees without disabilities in similar roles interact with them.
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.
The Governor's Trophy is the Governor's Committee's highest honor and is awarded 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 state level.
Nominations, including self-nominations, in any of these categories are encouraged. A completed submission form specific to the category, along with any supporting material, can be mailed to:
Texas Governor's Committee on People with Disabilities
P.O. Box 12428
Austin TX 78711
or send the submission by email to:
[email protected]
Above and Beyond: Employment Practices
Suggestions for creating a welcoming and inclusive environment for ALL people to help make your business or service stand out.
Download Above and Beyond: Employment Practices in PDF format
What Can YOU Do to Advance the Employment of People with Disabilities?
In support of the What Can YOU Do? outreach effort, the Campaign for Disability Employment is pleased to present the following video tools. Help us spread the word about the value and talent that people with disabilities bring to the workplace by sharing these videos and playing the Campaign for Disability Employment: