For Immediate Release 
October 24, 2018    

Media Contact: Kandy Cayce
Division of Services for the Blind
[email protected]

Fagan earns DSB award:  From the left, Wayne Thornberry, coordinator for the Division of Child Care and Early Childhood Education (DCCECE) Family Support Unit, and Kareba Pate, DCCECE program manager, accept a business partner award presented to DCCECE by the Department of Human Services Division of Services for the Blind (DSB). Sheree Fagan, education and instruction analyst for DCCECE, received an achievement award for her career and community accomplishments. DSB Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor Tonia Wright nominated Fagan for the award.

Little Rock Woman Who’s Blind Serves Community, Earns Achievement Award   

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – Sheree Fagan of Little Rock, who’s been legally blind since birth, has been named the area’s outstanding Consumer of the Year by the Department of Human Services Division of Services for the Blind (DSB). Fagan holds down two jobs and is active in volunteer work.

Fagan, a licensed teacher, was a Family Support Specialist at the DHS Division of Child Care and Early Childhood Education. She did professional development training for providers and parents and conducted behavioral studies to help children stay in school. Recently, she was promoted and is now an Education and Instruction Analyst.

She has a part-time second job teaching life skills to people who are blind and visually impaired. Prior to this, Fagan was a classroom para-professional at Arkansas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired (ASBVI) for five years.

Fagan has served for 10 years as a foster parent to Arkansas children who are blind and visually impaired. She has hosted high school international exchange students who are blind or visually impaired for 10 years; her current student is from Malaysia and attends ASBVI.

DSB Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor Tonia Wright nominated Fagan for the achievement award because of her determination to overcome adversity, succeed at work, and serve the community. She was selected from Lonoke County and a part of Pulaski County.

The award presentation was made October 24, at the noon meeting of the Little Rock Founders Lions Club. Her employer, the DHS Division of Child Care and Early Childhood Education, was recognized as an outstanding business partner for its commitment to promoting the employment of persons with vision impairment.

Fagan graduated from Middle Tennessee State University with a degree in Family and Consumer Science and later started working on a master’s degree from Harding University. She has two grown children – a son in Seattle and a daughter in Murfreesboro, TN.  She is a member of Immanuel Baptist Church in Little Rock and is active in the Arkansas School for the Blind Alumni Association.

Fagan said she appreciates DSB services, which included counseling and guidance; tuition at Pulaski Technical Institute and Harding University; testing materials; the cost of renewing her teacher’s license; independent living tools; and a computer, software and a printer.

This is the 11th year that DSB has given Consumer of the Year awards to recognize individuals who have managed their rehabilitation plans, gained marketable skills, secured good jobs, and become role models for others. An overall state winner will be selected at the end of the year.

DSB provides vocational rehabilitation services to adults who are blind or severely visually impaired and whose goal is successful employment. The division also serves youth and older blind individuals. For information about DSB’s programs and services, visit the DSB website at https://humanservices.arkansas.gov/dsb/Pages/default.aspx or call 1-800-960-9270, 501-682-5463, or Deaf Relay 711.

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