If you're a fan of baseball and disability inclusion, you've come to the right place!
At the U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP), we work to increase success for people with disabilities in America's workplaces. This is a goal we share with our Alliance partner the Professional Baseball Athletic Trainers Society (PBATS), which works to promote disability inclusion—both on and off the field of play.
Over the years, ODEP and PBATS have collaborated on a number of activities, including the production of several public service announcements (PSAs) featuring former MLB players with disabilities and/or professional baseball athletic trainers from clubs around the country. Among the topics these PSAs address is the importance of helping people stay at or return to work after injury or illness and, most recently, strategies for fostering mental health-friendly workplaces.
Please view and share these PSAs and explore our resources for fostering inclusive, supportive workplaces, for all workers in all types of workplaces—because everyone should be in the game.
PBATS/ODEP Mental Health PSAs
PSA featuring Cleveland Guardians assistant athletic trainer Jeff Desjardins emphasizing the importance of supporting workers with mental health conditions.
PSA featuring professional baseball athletic trainers talking about the importance of mental health-friendly workplaces.
Resources
Mental Health Toolkit – A resource for employers from the ODEP-funded Employer Assistance and Resource Network on Disability Inclusion (EARN) that outlines best practices and examples of mental health initiatives implemented by a variety of companies.
Job Accommodation Network (JAN) – ODEP-funded resource that provides free, expert and confidential guidance on workplace accommodations for people with disabilities, including mental health conditions.
Mental Health at Work: What Can I Do? – A campaign from the ODEP-funded Campaign for Disability Employment featuring a series of PSAs, posters and other materials for use in the workplace.
ODEP Alliance Webpage – Learn more about ODEP's alliance with PBATS and other organizations.
Additional PBATS/ODEP PSAs
PSA featuring former MLB player Bo Jackson
PSA featuring former MLB player Curtis Pride