For more on enABLE: www.enablega.org.
For more on Eckman’s career: murrow.wsu.edu/alumni-and-friends/hall-of-achievement/2015-inductees/eckman.html.
Art Eckman has had quite the career in sports broadcasting. His resume includes a decade as sports director at Atlanta's WXIA-TV, stints with the Oakland Raiders, Atlanta Hawks and Houston Rockets, and a 20-year span at ESPN. He currently works as special assistant for athletics at Kennesaw State University, where he is the radio sideline reporter for the new football team. Eckman also has used his commanding voice to improve opportunities for people with developmental disabilities. One of his big passions is enABLE, a nonprofit that helps people with disabilities work and live independently. The work is intensely personal — Eckman's daughter Christine is autistic.
Q: How did you get into broadcasting?
A: I grew up in Portland, Oregon, and was a pretty lousy football player. Some of my friends who were good suggested I audition at the public radio station and make them famous. During my career, I kiddingly said that I had done every sport but women's mud wrestling. My wife said that was because I didn't get the opportunity. I became most known for Motorcross and Supercross.
Q: What are those for people who don’t know?
A: Dirt bikes and motorcycles flying through the air. The athletes are probably the most well-conditioned of any I covered, including those in the 1968 Olympic Games.
Q: You recently were inducted into the Edward R. Murrow Hall of Achievement at Washington State University, your alma mater. How was that?
A: It is very humbling, especially when you have modeled your career after a person of that stature. When I was a student, I got a chance to talk with Edward R. Murrow. It set a good foundation for my career.
Q: How have you used that career to help people with developmental disabilities?
A: I used my high profile status to open doors — doing speeches, lobbying politicians, raising money. When we first moved to Atlanta in 1978, we found little educational opportunities for our daughter, Christine. We set about creating a special class at Milton High School. Each student with developmental disabilities had mentors from the normal population. My daughter took great pride in going through graduation with all of these mentors.
Q: Can you talk about your work with enABLE?
A: That came about through some concerned parents sitting around the kitchen table questioning what would happen to their children if something happened to them. The mission of enABLE is to unlock the potential of people with disabilities through group homes and vocational programs. I also remind Christine what she did 30 years ago when she was 21. Her speech at the Roswell City Council helped rezone property for group homes. She told the council that she was a nice person and a hard worker and that she didn't get in trouble. She brought the council to tears.
Q: How is she doing?
A: She has a lot of guts. She has made more progress than most everyone in the family. For 16 years, she worked at Kroger in the bakery and is currently doing contract work for companies hiring enABLE people. She lives in a group home and when she came over at Christmas, she wanted to make sure she was going back.
Q: How does it make you feel that she can live her own life?
A: It is a terrific relief to see her progress and change. I tell Christine all the time that her actions and her maturity break the ground for other people.
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