Henry Viscardi’s Early Life, A Visual Narrative

The Early Life of Henry Viscardi, Jr. (2024 to ongoing) began during my Summer 2024 Artist in Residence at Lenox Hill Neighborhood House in New York City, where I developed this project while also leading art workshops at the Women’s Mental Health Shelter and the Older Adult Center.

My father, Henry Viscardi Jr., was a pioneering champion of Disability Rights. Based on his 1952 autobiography A Man’s Stature, the series of drawings and paintings traces his early years. Born in New York City with severe physical disabilities, he spent years in a charity hospital and faced profound social prejudice before receiving prosthetic legs at age twenty seven. In 1952 he founded Abilities, Inc., helping to lead the modern Disability Rights movement.