On October 28, 2025, The Viscardi Center officially opened the Kornreich Institute for Disability Studies (KIDS), a new educational initiative dedicated to advancing understanding of disability history and the contributions of individuals with disabilities across a wide variety of sectors such as sports, entertainment, business, politics, and advocacy. The Institute, located on Viscardi’s campus in Albertson, NY, is also home to the new Museum of Disability History, which will open to the public on February 17, 2026.
The Kornreich Institute for Disability Studies exemplifies the commitment of long-time supporters Janet and John Kornreich to promoting disability equity and inclusion. During the ribbon-cutting ceremony, Museum of Disability History Board Chair Steven Markowitz spoke about their generosity in his opening remarks.
“To those who have been given much, much is expected,” quoted Janet Kornreich as she described the vision for the Institute that was born from a dream her husband had one evening after she shared a news story she had read.
“The mission is to inform, educate, inspire, and, yes, even entertain the students at the Henry Viscardi School (HVS) by integrating disability history as part of the curriculum. The Institute for Disability Studies will truly bring this mission to life, not only for the students of HVS, but also for the broader Long Island community and beyond,” John Kornreich emphasized. As an example of the type of multimedia assets that can be used to illustrate the personal achievements of people with disabilities and engage the audience, Mr. Kornreich played a powerful video telling the story of Jim Abbott, a one-handed Major League Baseball pitcher who threw a no-hitter with the New York Yankees in 1993.
A dynamic, fully accessible learning environment, the Kornreich Institute for Disability Studies will begin welcoming field trips, which include a guided tour of the Museum of Disability History, in January 2026. Visits by students with and without disabilities (K-12), homeschool groups, after-school programs, scouts, camps, and community organizations are encouraged. More information about booking a field trip can be found on the Museum of Disability History’s website, as well as several disability-focused lesson plans.
Relocated, from Buffalo, the Museum of Disability History is a one-of-a-kind cultural institution bringing together art and artifacts that present the history, way of life, and identity of a vibrant disability community; a place where visitors of all ages can learn and reflect.
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 (to age 21), school-to-work youth transition services, vocational training and job placement, day habilitation without walls, inclusive higher education, digital accessibility services, and entrepreneurship 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.