Nassau County will soon be home to the nation’s only museum dedicated to disability history. The museum will be housed in The Viscardi Center within the Kornreich Institute for Disability Studies and is set to open in Fall 2025.
Nassau County executive Bruce Blakeman was joined by The Viscardi Center board members and students who attend the Henry Viscardi School to announce that the county is making a significant investment in the museum.
Nassau County is allocating $600,000 for the construction and marketing of the museum.
“I am very pleased that we had the opportunity in Nassau County to open this museum here, where it will be the only museum in the United States giving the history of disabilities, people with disabilities, the struggle that people with disabilities have to get funding, to get access, to get all the things that they need so they can have an enriching and a fruitful and productive life,” Blakeman said.
When the previous disability history museum in Buffalo shut down during the COVID-19 pandemic, it began looking for a new site. Nassau County officials and The Viscardi Center, a non-profit organization and school that helps create a more accessible and inclusive world for disabled children and adults, offered to open the museum on Long Island.
“We’re steeped in disability history and disability culture here, and we’re so proud that through the county’s investment, we’re going to be able to tell that story for the whole world to hear,” Viscardi Center president and CEO Chris Rosa said.
The museum is planned to open after a section of the Viscardi Center is renovated as part of the Kornreich Institute for Disability Studies. The institute was established by John and Janet Kornreich, donors who had the idea of an institute devoted to disability studies focusing on K through 12 education.
“The mission of [the Kornreich Institute for Disability Studies] at its heart is to inform, educate, inspire and even entertain the students at the Viscardi School K-12,” John Kornreich said. “The heart of [the institution] will be integrated as part of the curriculum. Every day, the kids will be in a class, and they will learn the social and cultural history of disability’s life.”
The Museum of Disability History will feature famous disability advocates, such as Kansas Sen. Bob Dole, who was injured in World War II, Paralympian gold medalist Oksana Masters, a double amputee, and former Yankees pitcher Jim Abbott, who was born without a right hand, Kornreich said.
“This museum will serve as a historical and cultural hub recognizing the struggles and accomplishments of individuals with disabilities as well as advancing the understanding, acceptance, and independence of people with disabilities,” Viscardi Center board of directors member Steven Markowitz said.
The museum will also feature documents and information regarding the progress toward achievement for disability inclusivity, including the Americans with Disabilities Act.
“I have seen some of the artifacts that already are being gathered to go into the museum, and then we will acquire more artifacts from [the previous Museum of Disability History],” Blakeman said. “We look forward to the day when we can also put in digital learning. Now, you can have an exhibit using technology where you can experience so many things.”
Blakeman said the funds for this museum come from money allocated toward bringing economic development to Nassau County through tourism and marketing.
“We want people to come to Nassau County and see our gorgeous beaches, shop in our fabulous restaurants and shopping centers and our little villages throughout Nassau County,” Blakeman said. “One of the most important components of that is our museums. Our museums are an attraction, whether it be the Cradle of Aviation, our Firefighters Museum, our children’s museum, or our African American museum. These are all places that people go to from outside of the area. And I think that this museum is going to be a phenomenal addition.”
