Award Programs

The Texas Governor's Committee has a long history of honoring the achievements of Texans with disabilities by presenting awards for best practices and exemplary endeavors of employers and media professionals.  As part of our mission to further opportunities for Texans with disabilities to enjoy full and equal access to lives of independence, productivity, and self-determination, we proudly sponsor three annual awards programs.

About the Lex Frieden Employment Awards

Since 1979, the Governor's Committee has highlighted the efforts of employers to hire and retain employees with disabilities, and to recognize Best Practices affecting employees with disabilities within the workplace. Annual awards are given in the following categories:  The Governor's Trophy, awarded to the person who has achieved the highest success in enhancing the empowerment and employment of Texans with disabilities; the Entrepreneurship Award, for a business owner with a disability; Employer Awards (Small, Medium, Large, and Non-Profit Employers), for employers who go above and beyond legal requirements for employing people with disabilities; and the Martha Arbuckle Award, for an exemplary community project by a Local Committee.

About the Barbara Jordan Media Awards

In 1982, the Texas Governor's Committee on People with Disabilities created the media relations program which includes a series of prestigious annual awards recognizing outstanding contributions by individuals and organizations of the communications media. In 1998, the Committee added a high school student category to the Barbara Jordan Media Awards competition in an effort to encourage and educate a new generation of journalists. Contributions are recognized for eliminating attitudinal, social, and physical barriers and encouraging accurate and progressive portrayals of people with disabilities.

The Barbara Jordan Media Awards recognize representatives of the communications media in the fields of print, broadcast, Internet, photojournalism, and books for effectively using their skills to increase public understanding of the abilities and potential of people with disabilities.