Disability has a history. The Viscardi Center is shining a light on it.
The nonprofit, which supports people with intellectual and physical disabilities, officially opened the nation’s only Museum of Disability History to its students and residents on Thursday, Oct. 30, while announcing it would introduce the exhibits to the public on Jan. 20, 2026.
“This is the culmination of the collective dreams and hopes of more than a quarter of a million Nassau County residents with disabilities and more than 285,000 Suffolk County residents with disabilities,” said Viscardi Center CEO Chris Rosa. “We’re all waiting for a moment where we can celebrate our community, our culture and our collective lived experiences with disability over the course of American history. Finally, our moment is here. This is an opportunity and a space to bring the voice of people with disabilities back into American history.”
There are over 70 million disabled people living in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control. Currently accounting for about 25% of the country’s population, it’s the only minority group people may join at any time in their lives, as a person may face a life-altering diagnosis or injury at any point, Rosa said.
The museum includes three rooms dedicated to showcasing the history of the disabled community in the United States, including one modeled on Dr. Henry Vicardi’s office with information on the center founder’s life, a room for student-learning and 2,500 square foot traditional museum space with artifacts, photographs and informational writing on the history of the disabled community in the United States and the role disabled people have played in the country’s history, something Rosa said is frequently erased from history books and tellings.
“It’s an opportunity to re-examine and appreciate the role that Americans with disabilities have played throughout American history,” Rosa said. “It’s the same American history that we’ve learned through civics and history and social studies classes all of our lives, but now from the distinctive perspective of Americans with disabilities themselves. It’s an opportunity to understand how rich and complex the tapestry of American history is.”
County Executive Bruce Blakeman and North Hempstead Supervisor Jen DeSena attended Thursday’s opening ceremony, both saying they were proud that North Hempstead is the home of the nation’s only Museum of Disability History.
A disability history museum previously stood in Erie County, N.Y., but closed in 2021 due to challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. A portion of the Viscardi Center’s museum’s artifacts were transported from Erie’s old museum, ensuring the community’s legacy lives on.
Rosa said he was especially excited about the January public opening because it would mean the start of student field trips. Students currently attending the Viscardi Center will undergo training to become museum guides for students from nearby public schools, Rosa said.
“We’re going to train them to be [guides], so that when their peers from local school districts come, the fourth graders here will lead the fourth graders from Herricks,” Rosa said. “They’ll be the ones to take their peers through the collection and tell the story in their own authentic voices. Then they’ll gather in that space over some lunch and with a creative art project where they can have an informal conversation about what it means to be a kid with a disability.”
“When the day is done, neither group will ever think of themselves or disabilities in quite the same way,” Rosa continued. “That’s the joy, and that’s our aspiration, and that’s what’s possible because of this great museum.”
The Museum of Disability History is located at 201 I U Willets Road in Albertson and will open to the public on Jan. 20.
