Dale Rogers Training Center

Dale Rogers Training Center (DRTC), a non-profit organization, is the oldest and largest community vocational training and employment center for individuals with disabilities in Oklahoma. With five locations in Oklahoma, Dale Rogers Training Center trains or employs 1100 people a year: more than 900 with disabilities.

When the Dale Rogers Training Center (DRTC) opened in 1953, there were almost no services available to children with developmental disabilities. The families of approximately 20 children with mental retardation banded together to provide mutual support, day care and education. Although the organization incorporated as the “Oklahoma County Council for Mentally Retarded Children,” it adopted its better-known name in honor of film star Dale Evans Rogers, one of the first advocates for persons with mental retardation. She and her husband, Roy Rogers, became parents of a daughter, Robin Elizabeth who was born with Down Syndrome. Robin died shortly before her second birthday. Dale wrote the inspirational bestseller Angel Unaware, chronicling the impact that Robin had on their lives. Dale and Roy both were very influential in changing public perceptions of children born with developmental disabilities and served as role models for many parents.

In the decades of the '60s and '70s awareness of the rights of individuals with disabilities grew and public schools were charged with providing education for children with disabilities. Federal and state legislation, such as the Vocational Rehabilitation Act of 1973, outlined programs to provide training and work opportunities in sheltered and community environments. During these years, Dale Rogers’ programs and services continued to evolve in response to these changes and community need.

During the '80s and '90s Dale Rogers Training Center experienced a time of rapid growth. Currently, Dale Rogers provides training or employment to over 1,000 teenagers and adults and is the oldest and largest provider of community services to people with disabilities in Oklahoma. It offers a wide array of training programs and employment opportunities across the state.

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