Viscardi, Henry, Jr.

▪ 2005

      American activist (b. May 10, 1912, New York, N.Y.—d. April 13, 2004, Roslyn, N.Y.), campaigned for the inclusion of the physically handicapped in the workforce. Born with legs that terminated at mid-thigh, he used personal experience to help establish a rehabilitation program for disabled veterans at Walter Reed Army Hospital, Washington, D.C., during World War II. His efforts attracted the attention of Eleanor Roosevelt, and at her urging Viscardi founded Abilities, Inc., in 1952. In 1991 the organization, created as an employment agency for the disabled, merged with two other groups to create the National Center for Disability Services.

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