Workers with Disabilities: Talent for a Winning Team - December 2008
Jim Abbott – It’s Talent and Skill That Mattered, Not His Disability
Jim Abbott is a former Major League Baseball (MLB) pitcher who played for the California Angels, Chicago White Sox, Milwaukee Brewers and New York Yankees. The highlight of his career was pitching a no-hitter for the Yankees in 1993. But he is also remembered for excelling at the game despite being born with only one hand. Jim has used his disability both to inspire millions by focusing on his talent and capabilities and to encourage all people with disabilities to have the courage to pursue their dreams. For sharing this inspirational message, Jim has received the Freedom Forum’s Free Spirit Award, the Academy Awards of Sports’ Courage Award, the prestigious Victory Award and was twice named as the March of Dimes “Athlete of the Year.” In October 2008, Jim was presented with the Secretary of Labor’s SPIRIT Award for his leadership and commitment to enhancing the ability of Americans with disabilities to enter and participate fully in the 21st century workforce.
Jim started playing baseball in his front yard in Flint, Michigan. In college he pitched for the University of Michigan, and was honored as the first baseball pitcher to win the Sullivan Award as the top amateur athlete in the U.S. In 1988, he was drafted by the California Angels and pitched the U.S. to a gold medal in the Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea. Jim excelled at the highest levels of baseball, displaying his extraordinary abilities with a disability that would have stopped most people.
Jim retired from baseball in 1998, but he’s still using his talent—this time to help raise awareness about the value people with disabilities bring to America’s businesses. During the 2008 baseball season, he took his message on the road as spokesperson for ODEP’s PITCH Campaign, appearing at several MLB ballparks and speaking to local, regional and national media about the topic.
In baseball, it was Jim’s talent and skill that mattered, not his disability. Through his outreach and advocacy, he is now helping employers across the country gain the same valuable perspective. Jim reflects, "Working with the people at ODEP was very inspiring and I was truly honored to receive the SPIRIT Award. For a long time I was hesitant to speak at great length about my disability because I always focused on what I could do rather than what I couldn’t do, but the SPIRIT Award and the work of ODEP helped me realize that I can make a difference.”
