October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month
Longtime Los Angeles TV sports reporter Maria Serrao and top SoCal athletes have teamed up with Easterseals Southern California (ESSC) to create a sports-themed PSA campaign, Game On, which shines a spotlight on disability inclusion.
Appearing in the initial four PSAs of the campaign are Cameron Dicker, placekicker for the Los Angeles Chargers; Steve Avila, center for the Los Angeles Rams; Miguel Rojas, shortstop for the Los Angeles Dodgers; and Zach Neto, shortstop for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. Additional spots featuring athletes from other sports teams will be announced soon, including one with IndyCar driver Graham Rahal of Team Rahal Letterman Lanigan.
Launched September 15, during Monday Night Football, the Game On campaign will air throughout October, which is National Disability Employment Month, and beyond on local news channels, select sports cable outlets and on Easterseals social media platforms. Additionally, a PSA featuring Dicker will air on the Infinity Screen at SoFi Stadium during the Charger’s first four home games.
Serrao is a five-time, national award-winning journalist, who has been covering professional sports in SoCal for more than 20 years on her weekly sports show, Playing the Field, which airs on RPVtv, COX, Verizon and YouTube TV. With support from the sports community, she is using her wheelchair and her position as a platform to raise awareness and ask people to change the way they perceive disability.
Says Serrao, an ESSC board member, “It’s not what your limitations are, it’s how you decide to live your life. A lot of people see the wheelchair first, not me or my capabilities. The athletes don’t see me as someone with a disability. They just see me there on the field and in the locker room as a reporter. All anyone with a disability wants is a chance to get in the game and be part of the team.”
Commented Mark Whitley, president & CEO of ESSC, “We appreciate the support of the sports community and the belief of these world-class athletes that the real win comes when everyone gets to play. Maria is a game-changer on the field, in the newsroom and in the community. She’s breaking down barriers and changing perceptions.”
According to the CDC, 25% of U.S. residents, more than 70 million people across the country, have a disability, making it the largest minority group in the country. Of those, 23% live in California (more than 9 million), nearly 5.5 million in SoCal.
