Albertson, NY – Speaking on behalf of her office, individuals with disabilities, and disability advocates on-site for the official opening of the Museum of Disability History at The Viscardi Center on February 17, New York State Chief Disability Officer Kim Hill Ridley noted, “… what is most important for those of us here … is that it is now up to us to continue this museum … to add to its history. And if the people in this room aren’t going to do it, nobody is. I feel another sense of obligation and responsibility to continue to build on disability history and to be able to really make the next generation of people with disabilities even more independent, inclusive and involved in all aspects of society.”
The Museum of Disability History at The Viscardi Center is a one-of-a-kind exhibition space bringing together art and artifacts that present the history, way of life, and identity of a vibrant disability community and a place where visitors of all ages can learn and reflect. Its full collection is made up of over 8,000 artifacts, documents, books, and photographic images that chronicle the story of the disability rights movement from its origin through modern-day. Positioned in its original location within the building and set up as occupied by Dr. Henry Viscardi, Jr., his office gives visitors a peek into his journey from a disabled young man to a trailblazing entrepreneur and one of the world’s leading advocates for people with disabilities.
Founded in 1998 and originally located in Buffalo, the museum closed its doors in December 2020. In spring 2024, the Museum of Disability History found a new home and became part of The Viscardi Center network.
During her remarks at the opening, Willow Baer, Commissioner of the New York State Office for People With Developmental Disabilities (OPWDD), said, “Dr. Henry Viscardi was a trailblazer in disability advocacy. And this project is such an incredible culmination of that rich history and work that will now allow generations of people to sit and reflect and learn about the history that we have come from.” Further, she expressed her pride in the leadership of New York, “As a New Yorker, as a family member of someone with a developmental disability and as the commissioner of an agency that was literally created by people who advocated for themselves and their family members … this is the New York that I am so proud of … The idea that people with disabilities are not an afterthought in New York, its commitment to accessibility, health equity and inclusion.”
The museum’s exhibition is organized around fourteen thematic “portals,” reflecting the idea that disability history in the United States is not singular or chronological but composed of many intersecting stories. The core of this exhibition is drawn from the Museum of Disability History’s own collections, and artifacts are placed in dialogue with loans, reproductions, and new acquisitions, both historic and contemporary. These items offer windows into histories and narratives that highlight different aspects of disability’s pasts, presents, and futures.
Introducing the curation team, Dr. Chris Rosa, President and CEO of The Viscardi Center shared, “Our challenge was to document and curate the rich history of Americans with disabilities over the last 150 years and that is a big lift for 4,500 beautiful square feet [built within the new Kornreich Institute for Disability Studies] … we asked for help in a partner, in curation, to find a way to allow people to peer into key moments of American history and to find people with disabilities…to situate themselves in that moment of history and maybe reconceptualize the history that we were all taught as kids in elementary school in a way that is inclusive of people with disabilities.”
Curator, Ignacio G. Galan, acknowledging his co-curator Jordan Whitewood-Neal, said, “Our goal was to explore that there is not one single linear history for disabilities… The exhibition is organized around 14 portals that are artifacts that allow you to dig into these shifting and complex histories and we have curated the show collectively with lots of people in the disability community … you will encounter their voices featured in the text that accompany the artifacts.”
The exhibition design emerged through a co-design process that included workshops and full-scale mock-ups with participation from Viscardi stakeholders with diverse disabilities, ensuring accessibility was integrated from the onset.
Reflecting on his teams’ exhibition design, Joel Sanders, JSA/MIXdesign Founder and Principal, said, “What made this so special for us was the design process. A co-design process. It was based on their insights, based on lived experience. In this case, accessibility was foundational rather than an afterthought in the design process … this is a modest project but pioneering. A project that raises awareness about a community that is too often overlooked and asks us to reconsider disability, not as a limitation but as a vital part of American history and culture.”
A model of inclusive design, a multi-sensory wayfinding defines the exhibition’s circulation system. A blue film along the gallery floor perimeter and central island marks areas of viewing and defines the central island, featuring one of the highlights of the collection, the Invacar. Primary circulation paths are six feet wide, allowing pairs of wheelchair users or ASL signers to move comfortably side by side. Display strategies rethink conventional museum norms. Artifacts and artworks are mounted around a lowered datum of 48 inches high —rather than the standard 60—to improve sightlines for seated wheelchair users and shorter visitors, including children and people of short stature. Touchable materials are presented on angled shelving to support multi-sensory engagement. Large-text labels, video captioning, and audio description offer additional pathways to support blind/low vision and deaf/hard of hearing visitors.
The Museum of Disability History welcomes individuals, school field trips, youth and community groups.
The Viscardi Center, a network of non-profit organizations, provides a lifespan of services that educate, employ, and empower people with disabilities. Its programs and services include Pre-K through High School education, school-to-work youth transition services, vocational training and job placement, day habilitation without walls, inclusive higher education, and digital accessibility services to children, adolescents, and adults with disabilities and businesses. It is also the publisher of Able News, a digital news platform for, by, and about people with disabilities.
