ITALY AT WORK

PerspecUves; ecttves ' •0 "wt.-'....y~ung young men maimed so early in life," life,” heHenry Viscardi Viscatdi High School -— is under ~ ~ K"sal(i. said.constrnctionnexttothecentecandistobe oonstructionnertttothecertterandistobe -Itwaswhilehewasatthehoswhile he at the bos- finished finisbedlin [in theFaIlof1988.] Fail Theschool,pital that he met First Lady Eleanor Elmnor the tlrefirstofitskindirttlteeounlnhwillits in the country, •..1{Roosevelt. Roosevelt, who heard ofhis work andhouseabout 100 ofrhe the 250 2S0studentsand_'/'"invited him to thewhite White House fortca. teaallow more room for offices offiees in theolderShe would become a great friend, oftenbuilding.visiting Viscardi, Viscardi. his wife, Lucile, andViscardi has been an adviser tofour daughters.every president-beginning — with Fran-He stayed at the hospital untilklin Roosevelt -— on the affairs of thethe end of the war, then entered priva~e privatenation's disabled population. Althoughbusiness-he - had to escape from thehe never graduated from college-he - pain and suffering.attended Fordham University for three"But “But [the memory of] oi] those yearsandStJohn'slawschoolfortwo­yearsandSt.John's lawschooll‘ortwo—young men kept lreptooming coming back." back,“Viscardihe has been presented with 19 honoraryAn affectionate altectlonate Interruptionlmerruptlonsaid. Theaverageamput.eegotahero's amputee got a hero'sdegrees. Fordham joined l.hallist that list 22homecoming but then was forgotten asyears after Viscardi was forced to leavean "unemployable" “unemployable" cripple, he said.the university because he was behind in(he cherishes his daily half-mile swimIn 1952 l952 he gave up hisjob astuition payments. 'Tm “I'm earning my edu­edu-with the kids) and is ever-active in hispersonnel director of the Burlingtoncation by degrees," degrees,” Viscardi says jok­ jok-quest to raise funds for the school. HeMills textilefirm, lirrn . borrowed $8,000and, and.ingly.often travels to other countries, countries. sharingin a vacant West Hempstead garage, hehis personal experiences and knowl­knowl-started Abilities Inc., lnc., to prove that, that. ifedge about rehabilitation and educa-given the chance, the physically handi· handitioncappedcancan worlcefficiently work ellficiertdy in industry."“... he propelled his[In August 1988], Viscardi'sHis original workforce of fivecontributions to the disabled on Longhas grown to 150 I50 handicapped workers,sturdy torso throughIsland [New Yorlc] York] was recognized bywho now do everything from electron­electron-The Family l’-‘amily Counseling Service inics to data processing in a beautiful,city crowds and ig­ig-Westhampton Beach, which bestowedmodem modern plant in Albertson [New York:]. York].upon him its sixth Family of ManAdjacent to the plant stands nored ridicule andaward. For Viscardi, who has receivedthe Human Resources Center, which he- in­stares of pity." pity.”countless awards and citations — includinga literary award for one of hischological changes occurring amongeight books andthe Horatio Algerthe employees as a result of their work.Award for Distinguished Americans­~There is also a vocational-rehabilitationprogram, insti­office thefounded to study the physical and psy-this honor has special meaning because‘ program. a research and training institute.and an industry-labor council.Human Resources Center are photos ofBeinecke, for whom the counselingOn the walls ofhis ofliceatthehe was a good friend of the late laté Edwin J.tute,In ln September, 1962, I962, ViscardiViscardi introducing former Presidentservice's headquarters is named.launched a makeshift school with 21Jimmy Carter, shaking hands with Ger­Ger-Forallt.hathehasdone.Vis-that he has done, Vis­children in one room of the center.ald Ford and Lyndon Johnson, Johnson. smilingcardi still is not ready to quiL quit. "I "l have havcnotToday about 250 severely disabledwith Rosalyn Carter, and standing next"So youngsters -— from pre-kindergartenRoosevelL repaid the doctor," he said. “So long asto Eleanor Roosevelt. There is also aI through high school-are -— bused frompicture of severaldisabled there is one individual whose life l canchildrenas far as 50 miles away toauend attendtuition­tuition-laughing as they circle Viscardi, Viscardi. and change; so long as there are prejudicesawhich divide us into abled and disabledfree classes in the handsome brickportrait of Viscardi drawn by a blindpeople, my work: is far from finished. finished" ..building.Eighty percent of these sru­stu-and deaf artist.dents graduate and go on to college.Viscardi is semi-retired now. now,Copyright 1988. I988, Newsday. Inc. inc.A new $6 million junior andalthough he still spends several hours asenior high school - to be called theweek at the Human Resources Centerji-~=;;;F::a~ll1~9::ss~=================---- The Italic Way;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;:Fall 198817Li-it-4is-"*-“-*"”"'%-Ia‘ItL