Adviser understands challenges of disabilities
For The Oklahoman
Having lived all her life with mobility issues brought on by cerebral palsy, Emily Cheng, of Oklahoma City, knows well the challenges people with disabilities can face pursuing an education and a career.
She also knows what it’s like to be presented with the types of problems now gripping people in Houston, Florida, Puerto Rico and other places recovering from hurricane devastation. Cheng and her husband moved to Oklahoma City from New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
Cheng, 37, is the disability services coordinator and an academic adviser at Oklahoma State University-Oklahoma City. In August, Gov. Mary Fallin named her to fill a vacancy on the state Commission for Rehabilitation Services, which oversees Oklahoma’s array of programs that assist people with disabilities through the state Rehabilitation Services Department.
Soon thereafter, Cheng was elected vice chair of the commission.
She feels that her professional and personal experiences have equipped her to advise students who enroll at OSU-OKC, where ages range from 18 to 50 and older, and whose life circumstances vary widely.
“It’s just really a diverse audience. They come from all walks of life, each with a different story,” she said. “Being disability services coordinator has given me a lot of insight into the challenges Oklahomans are facing. This translates well into the kind of work the (Rehabilitation Services) commission is trying to do.
“The challenges people with disabilities face can be really intense sometimes,” said Cheng, who has been at OSU-OKC for 12 years and uses a scooter to move from place to place on campus.
“I think the network of services Oklahoma has is really rich,” she said. “The (Rehabilitation Services Department’s) annual report shows that these services are helpful and necessary.”
While conceding that Oklahoma could do more if more revenue was available, Cheng said the professionals providing services through Rehabilitation Department agencies do an admirable job. Funding for programs is provided through a combination of state and federal dollars. “State funding is a complicated issue,” she said. “It’s a complex issue of prioritization and funding.”
Meeting the needs of students, particularly those with disabilities, is a “joint effort between the (Rehabilitation Services Department), the university and the person,” she said. “It’s a team effort.
“I’ve gotten a good picture of the hopes and challenges these people face. I have given them some insight into what the DRS can do for them, and what they can do for themselves.”
Cheng said she has seen the process “from both angles — as a client and as an agency worker,” while also benefiting from her experience in Louisiana,
where she worked as a rehabilitation counselor.
Cheng said she’d wanted to work for a college for a long time. The job description for OSU-OKC disability services coordinator fit her education and training, and she was hired soon after arriving in Oklahoma City.
“The skill set you use as a rehabilitation counselor translates well into the education field,” Cheng said, “because part of a rehabilitation program can sometimes be retraining, and education is often a part of that.”
Empowering others
Cheng said she and her husband, Neil Cambre, are happy in Oklahoma City, which strikes her as a progressive place to live.
“And it is a lot more accessible than New Orleans,” she said.
While their New Orleans apartment escaped the flooding that devastated other areas of the city, Cheng said just knowing what others in the city were coping with became an emotional burden that they did not want to endure again.
“My heart goes out to them,” she said of this hurricane season’s victims. “And for people with disabilities, it’s a million times harder.”
Soon after arriving in Oklahoma City, Cheng was hired at OSU-OKC, and after going to work found herself in need of assistance.
Through the Rehabilitation Department’s post-employment services, “they helped me get a scooter to help me stay employed,” Cheng said. “So I’ve also been a client.”
Jody Harlan, Rehabilitation Service Department communications director pointed out that Cheng now serves on the governing board for the department that once assisted her.
“I think that’s a really cool thing,” she said.
Cheng holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology and sociology from Tulane University and a master’s degree in rehabilitation counseling from Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center. She’s also a certified rehabilitation counselor, employed by the Louisiana Rehabilitation Services agency before coming to Oklahoma.
Rehabilitation Services Executive Director Noel Tyler cited Cheng’s 15 years of experience helping people with disabilities achieve employment, educational and independent living goals.
“We are excited about working with her to empower Oklahomans with disabilities to achieve their maximum potential and lead fulfilling lives,” Tyler said.