OKLAHOMA CITY – Rep. Ellyn Hefner, D-Oklahoma City was selected to attend the Southern Policymakers Advancing Representative Community (SPARC) Fellowship.

The SPARC Fellowship is an opportunity for elected officials across 14 southern states to:

• Support policymakers in collaborative learning about disability justice,
• To teach best practices for serving disabled constituents and the broader disability community,
• Bring together policymakers across the South to share strategy for disability justice and inclusion.

“I'm most excited about collaborating with other states about what is working and what needs to change. It's important to challenge misconceptions around people who have a disability. Ensuring that we develop policies that advance the ability of people with disabilities to have meaningful work and a consistent presence in a community is crucial to their ability to live a good life,” Rep. Hefner said.

As a freshman representative, Hefner has been a fierce advocate for Oklahomans with disabilities. During her first session, Rep. Hefner authored two bills which would have expedited services and expanded opportunities for Oklahomans with intellectual disabilities. 

HB2716 would have increased oversight and transparency for Oklahomans with intellectual disabilities receiving community or home-based services. The proposed legislation passed the House 89-0.

HB2718, the Oklahoma Promise Opportunity Scholarship Act, would have provided tuition-only scholarships to students with intellectual disabilities attending a qualified post-secondary program designed to support students with intellectual disabilities. The bill also passed the House 89-0.

Hefner has three interim studies around disability justice in Oklahoma. 

• Workforce and uncovering state systems to increase competitive integrated employment.
• Looking at available systems in the state to develop and expand access to inclusive higher education for students with an intellectual disability.
• Sub minimum wage and meaningful work for Oklahomans with an intellectual developmental disability.

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