Latest / OneLegUpAlex Media / The Alex Garrett Podcast Network Presents Voices of Viscardi - Hear From The Henry Viscardi Center Family As the ADA Turns 34 7-27-24

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The Alex Garrett Podcast Network Presents Voices of Viscardi - Hear From The Henry Viscardi Center Family As the ADA Turns 34 7-27-24 · OneLegUpAlex Media

• 0:02
  Speaker 1: Here's your host, Alex Darren. Welcome inside to this very
• 0:08
  Speaker 1: important podcast honoring the thirty fourth anniversary of the Americans
• 0:13
  Speaker 1: or Disabilities Act. I'm titling this the Voices of Viscarti
• 0:17
  Speaker 1: because not only is the Henry Viscardi School and the
• 0:20
  Speaker 1: Viscardi Center rich with people and graduates who want to
• 0:25
  Speaker 1: continue to adapt in their own world, continue to thrive
• 0:28
  Speaker 1: and smash stigmas, but the man front and center on
• 0:31
  Speaker 1: the Henry Viscardi School, doctor Viscardi, himself, is a godfather
• 0:36
  Speaker 1: of the ADA.
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  Speaker 2: So as the ADA.
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  Speaker 1: Turns thirty four, let's tune to the voices of Viscarti,
• 0:42
  Speaker 1: starting with, of course, doctor Henry Viscarti, I.
• 0:46
  Speaker 3: Mean remind our listeners. Today's special guest is mister Henry Viscarti,
• 0:49
  Speaker 3: Junior President of Abilities Incorporated, an organizer of the Human
• 0:54
  Speaker 3: Resources Research and Training Institute Hank. I want to find
• 0:58
  Speaker 3: out something concerning Abilities Incorporated. How did you go about
• 1:02
  Speaker 3: organizing such an organization and what does it consist of?
• 1:07
  Speaker 4: In nineteen fifty two, I had made a decision that
• 1:10
  Speaker 4: what we needed in the metropolitan New York area was
• 1:13
  Speaker 4: a dramatic demonstration that disabled people could support themselves if
• 1:18
  Speaker 4: they had an opportunity to do so, that they could
• 1:20
  Speaker 4: work and produce products or in a living wage become independent,
• 1:25
  Speaker 4: productive citizens. So we've decided the found Abilities Incorporated. We
• 1:30
  Speaker 4: sought tax exemption, which we still have a need to
• 1:33
  Speaker 4: do a great deal of our rehabilitation work. But we
• 1:35
  Speaker 4: borroed eight thousand dollars from local citizens and went to
• 1:40
  Speaker 4: manufacturers in the area and started in a vacant garage
• 1:43
  Speaker 4: with four employees. Now among the four we had but
• 1:47
  Speaker 4: four usable arms and one usable leg, really because the
• 1:52
  Speaker 4: whole gang was in wheelchairs. Now that has grown today
• 1:56
  Speaker 4: to a point where we now have approximately five hundred workers.
• 2:00
  Speaker 4: Gross sales climbed from the first year of one hundred
• 2:03
  Speaker 4: and ninety one thousand dollars to this year there'll be
• 2:05
  Speaker 4: in excess of three and a half million dollars. Many
• 2:08
  Speaker 4: have left to go into the community, and from it
• 2:11
  Speaker 4: has sprang the other involvements of Human Resources Center. But
• 2:16
  Speaker 4: this is how Abilities began, as a work center for
• 2:19
  Speaker 4: disabled people in a community that was interested, to whom
• 2:23
  Speaker 4: we went to seek advice and who helped us with
• 2:26
  Speaker 4: the early financing, the training and the work which we
• 2:29
  Speaker 4: were to do.
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  Speaker 3: Hank, What were you producing and what are you producing today?
• 2:33
  Speaker 3: What were you originally involved with and how has this
• 2:36
  Speaker 3: turned itself around or how has this proceeded.
• 2:40
  Speaker 4: In nineteen fifty two, you will recall we were at
• 2:43
  Speaker 4: the height of the Korean conflict, so our primary product
• 2:47
  Speaker 4: was electronic components for military since that was the leading
• 2:51
  Speaker 4: economy in the Long Island area. But we've grown so
• 2:55
  Speaker 4: since then. In my latest book, which has just been published,
• 2:58
  Speaker 4: I've described this it's called the Ability Story, and I
• 3:02
  Speaker 4: told how we as we grew, we attempted to convert
• 3:06
  Speaker 4: from the military economy. If you were to come to
• 3:08
  Speaker 4: our installation now on Long Island, you'd find our people
• 3:12
  Speaker 4: producing highly sophisticated components for computers, navigational systems for aircraft
• 3:18
  Speaker 4: flight control instrumentation. But in addition, you'd find us with
• 3:23
  Speaker 4: our own computer capacity, running a service bureau with data
• 3:26
  Speaker 4: processing operations and keypunch operations staffed by mentally retarded as
• 3:31
  Speaker 4: well as disabled. And you'd find us operating a complete
• 3:35
  Speaker 4: banking setup, handling an excess of four million in deposits
• 3:39
  Speaker 4: in school savings, processing canceled checks, handling IBM and computer
• 3:45
  Speaker 4: in disha on deposit slips and mortgage coupons. It find excessive.
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  Speaker 4: A half million dollars of our billing now devoted to
• 3:53
  Speaker 4: banking services and computer services, as well as to a
• 3:57
  Speaker 4: complete turnover in the electronics feelie, you'd find us doing
• 4:01
  Speaker 4: exquisite glass engraving under a special process which we develop
• 4:05
  Speaker 4: and which is becoming a large component of our business.
• 4:08
  Speaker 4: And you'd find us involved in packaging operations.
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  Speaker 3: From what you were saying, there's one thing that I
• 4:14
  Speaker 3: want to mention. This is a traditional breakaway from that
• 4:17
  Speaker 3: which the handicapped person had been involved with caning chairs.
• 4:20
  Speaker 3: I can think of as sort of a home industry
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  Speaker 3: type thing, a homespun involvement. Here you've gone to something
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  Speaker 3: which is highly technical along the way.
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  Speaker 4: Well, I felt that we didn't have to weave rugs
• 4:32
  Speaker 4: and make baskets, that we could do highly sophisticated work.
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  Speaker 4: And I still believe that. I believe that are disabled
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  Speaker 4: and ar mentally retarded, and are emotionally disturbed and ar
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  Speaker 4: mentally restored, with the proper techniques of management work, simplification
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  Speaker 4: studies of their physical and emotional capacities and relating it
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  Speaker 4: to the job, can do highly important work and make
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  Speaker 4: a real contribution to the economy in this great country
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  Speaker 4: of ours, where we have great, highly developed techniques. You know,
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  Speaker 4: norm I'm a firm believer and change. None of us
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  Speaker 4: as individuals are the same people we were ten years ago.
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  Speaker 4: Now that this doesn't matter whether we've had an emotional
• 5:15
  Speaker 4: problem or a physical problem. Just people change and technology changes.
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  Speaker 4: We don't do the same things in your industry in
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  Speaker 4: the radio business that we did ten years ago, and
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  Speaker 4: I knew it rather well. So I believe that as
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  Speaker 4: we adopt to change, we can modify our concept of
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  Speaker 4: who's disabled and who isn't and can take far more
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  Speaker 4: people than we ever dreamed of into the productive stream
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  Speaker 4: of life.
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  Speaker 1: That was doctor Henry Viscarti in nineteen sixty seven, and
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  Speaker 1: he had such a forward thinking back in the day,
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  Speaker 1: of course, to create the center known as a Scary
• 5:51
  Speaker 1: Center in nineteen fifty two, and about producing a lot
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  Speaker 1: of you know, people that want to work hard. And
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  Speaker 1: I'm proud to say that my classical nine and so
• 6:03
  Speaker 1: many others before and after us are out there in
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  Speaker 1: the world thanks to doctor Viscarti, the staff of the
• 6:11
  Speaker 1: Viscarti School, and of course our families and now I
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  Speaker 1: want to have you listen to the current president, doctor
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  Speaker 1: Chris Rosa, to.
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  Speaker 5: Put it in perspective. As you know, Alex doctor Viscarti
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  Speaker 5: was really a precursor to the modern disability rights movement.
• 6:30
  Speaker 5: He was born at a time, you know, during the
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  Speaker 5: Great Depression when access and opportunity were not realistic for
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  Speaker 5: most Americans with disabilities.
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  Speaker 6: Uh.
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  Speaker 7: And after.
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  Speaker 5: Persevering and actually making it in business and industry, he
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  Speaker 5: realized that he had a higher purpose and a higher
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  Speaker 5: calling and he puts the He put those lessons to
• 7:00
  Speaker 5: work to create something new and different, a social for
• 7:06
  Speaker 5: profit enterprise, where he pitched this idea to prospective investors.
• 7:16
  Speaker 5: He pulled the resources of investors and he was able
• 7:20
  Speaker 5: to buy a garage in West Hempstead. He outfitted it
• 7:26
  Speaker 5: through those investors to make it into a shop floor,
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  Speaker 5: and then he went out and he recruited thirty people
• 7:32
  Speaker 5: with disabilities who were previously regarded as unemployable, and he
• 7:37
  Speaker 5: put them to work in contracts with leading Long Island employers,
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  Speaker 5: General Electric, Grumman.
• 7:45
  Speaker 8: And others.
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  Speaker 5: And in that first year he was able to turn
• 7:52
  Speaker 5: a forty eight thousand dollars profit after paying off all
• 7:56
  Speaker 5: of the creditors, and within five years he expanded that
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  Speaker 5: workforce to three hundred people with disabilities and they had
• 8:04
  Speaker 5: an annual profit of more than a million dollars. And
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  Speaker 5: that's that kind of entrepreneurial spirit, that epic of inclusion
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  Speaker 5: and that commitment to empowering people with disabilities through the
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  Speaker 5: promise of work is at the heart of our mission
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  Speaker 5: and it's very alive and well here at the Viscardi
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  Speaker 5: Center today. Every year we work with more than three
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  Speaker 5: hundred leading employers from around the nation to put New
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  Speaker 5: Yorkers with disabilities to work. And in terms of the
• 8:41
  Speaker 5: entrepreneurial spirit, Alex, we're proud that Viscardi is the home
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  Speaker 5: of the National Institute for Disability Entrepreneurship, where we work
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  Speaker 5: with enterprising entrepreneurs with disabilities to take their concept and
• 9:01
  Speaker 5: to bring their idea to fruition to market.
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  Speaker 1: By the way, shout out to Optimum for donating twenty
• 9:08
  Speaker 1: five hundred dollars to the Henry Viscardi School. In the
• 9:13
  Speaker 1: spirit I believe of a d a week and the
• 9:17
  Speaker 1: thirty fourth anniversary of the ADA, I of course want
• 9:20
  Speaker 1: to bring on Joe Salonica, who is an integral part
• 9:24
  Speaker 1: of the Viscardi school.
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  Speaker 9: Doctor v had the idea that not only will you
• 9:29
  Speaker 9: have an education, but you'll have the opportunity to have
• 9:32
  Speaker 9: therapies there, whether it's physical therapy, occupational therapy.
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  Speaker 2: Things like that.
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  Speaker 9: We at VISCARTI wanted to and he wanted to make
• 9:43
  Speaker 9: it as real a school as we can. You know,
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  Speaker 9: so anything that the quote unquote able body world does
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  Speaker 9: in school, we do, whether it's playing basketball, going to prom,
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  Speaker 9: senior past trips, student council sports.
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  Speaker 1: For you, and even the kids at HVS they get
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  Speaker 1: doors open when they join the sports program something.
• 10:08
  Speaker 9: Yes, yeah, absolutely, because wheelchair athletics is not very well
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  Speaker 9: known and if you're good at it right and in
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  Speaker 9: today's world especially, you know, I like the idea that
• 10:21
  Speaker 9: you know, the corporate world, the media is looking at
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  Speaker 9: a person with a disability and not feeling sorry for them,
• 10:30
  Speaker 9: but encouraging them and congratulating them because whatever obstacles they face,
• 10:39
  Speaker 9: they're overcoming by doing something athletically.
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  Speaker 1: Joe, are you saying that there's an actually uptick in
• 10:47
  Speaker 1: hirings for people with disabilities in today's world?
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  Speaker 6: There, Yes, there are.
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  Speaker 9: I do see a lot more opportunities for people with
• 10:56
  Speaker 9: disabilities in the corporate world. I do see a lot
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  Speaker 9: of opportunities, you know, in the media world where you know,
• 11:06
  Speaker 9: back in the day they would put an able body
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  Speaker 9: actor in a wheelchair and that's like portray somebody is
• 11:14
  Speaker 9: a disability. In today's world, yeah, they're using the real thing.
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  Speaker 1: And then to alumni, let's start out with Kate weg Lekowski.
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  Speaker 10: Shall we be a Henry Richetardi school and the Center.
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  Speaker 10: It's unlike any place ouse that I'm extremely West. I
• 11:29
  Speaker 10: consider myself West every day to have be be chosen
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  Speaker 10: to head up that the wonderful organization has given me
• 11:39
  Speaker 10: and you and so many others so much, and there's
• 11:43
  Speaker 10: no place other like places right that and the sense
• 11:48
  Speaker 10: of community and sense of cammaraderie and family, it's just
• 11:52
  Speaker 10: absolutely amazing, Tocy and we all would all to our founder,
• 11:56
  Speaker 10: doctor Henry mccarti junior, but we have an amazing part.
• 12:00
  Speaker 10: And yeah, well it's just amazing to be working at
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  Speaker 10: a plate that's so accepting and there's everything they can
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  Speaker 10: to put their employees well.
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  Speaker 1: And I actually now they bring up doctor Viscardi, I'm
• 12:13
  Speaker 1: just thinking, I mean, he would get us through this
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  Speaker 1: so well if he were here today. I'm sure he's
• 12:19
  Speaker 1: looking down at all of us through this, and we
• 12:21
  Speaker 1: are eternally grateful for him and know he's with us
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  Speaker 1: to this day, Katie.
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  Speaker 10: Absolutely, And my class, my class was the last class
• 12:30
  Speaker 10: that actually got the the the senior speech as you
• 12:36
  Speaker 10: well to talk and his his his speeches. And I
• 12:40
  Speaker 10: won't go on now because I'll get too mushy and
• 12:43
  Speaker 10: well up, but.
• 12:44
  Speaker 6: I'll go for it.
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  Speaker 2: I think people would love to hear what your experiences.
• 12:48
  Speaker 10: There's no plates, there's nobody unlike him, and his wife
• 12:53
  Speaker 10: was amazing in the family. And this guy was an
• 12:59
  Speaker 10: inspiration and a power of strength for all of us.
• 13:02
  Speaker 10: And and you have to right, I know him shining
• 13:04
  Speaker 10: down and looking at us and and praying for us.
• 13:07
  Speaker 10: And that's what we need. We need to remember the
• 13:10
  Speaker 10: good time. And and you know, we've build food so
• 13:14
  Speaker 10: much in the country, and we are the very resiliant people.
• 13:18
  Speaker 10: And I think that that's the people with disabilities are.
• 13:22
  Speaker 10: You know, people underestimate us, and I think that the
• 13:24
  Speaker 10: thing we are redoing and now the time to show
• 13:27
  Speaker 10: people that we are reliant.
• 13:29
  Speaker 1: Well, Katie, I'll have to ask you next time what
• 13:32
  Speaker 1: that message was, because I'm now wanting to know what
• 13:35
  Speaker 1: his message was to your class. But if you don't,
• 13:37
  Speaker 1: if you are to get if you don't feel comfortable
• 13:41
  Speaker 1: with that, now that's fine. We'll have you on for
• 13:42
  Speaker 1: another time.
• 13:43
  Speaker 10: No, I can't remember exactly the word, and I would
• 13:47
  Speaker 10: probably do him not a justice to a beautiful word,
• 13:51
  Speaker 10: but something like believe in yourself and you know, and
• 13:56
  Speaker 10: shooting the stars kind of thing, and and don't let
• 14:00
  Speaker 10: any limitations did the ability stop you? That was the
• 14:04
  Speaker 10: That was the sort of essence of his methods. There
• 14:07
  Speaker 10: was more eloquently spoken than what I'm saying right now.
• 14:11
  Speaker 5: But he is.
• 14:12
  Speaker 10: He is one of my heels for sure, and and
• 14:18
  Speaker 10: I am for everybodyful for him and what he's done
• 14:21
  Speaker 10: through for people with ditability and starting up for the
• 14:25
  Speaker 10: ability and Henry Vichcoti School and there's no place, no
• 14:30
  Speaker 10: place like that, and no place nobody else like him.
• 14:33
  Speaker 10: So he is an exceptional human beings.
• 14:36
  Speaker 1: And then of course Jessica Tambour in the mix, she's
• 14:39
  Speaker 1: a hard working uh personal disabilities and uh. She told
• 14:45
  Speaker 1: her story to this podcast nearly a year ago. Jessica,
• 14:49
  Speaker 1: what's it mean to be a Viscardi alumnus? Meaning of
• 14:53
  Speaker 1: what's that mean, what's it mean to be affiliated with
• 14:55
  Speaker 1: Henry Viscardi, who was like a pioneer in the sabered community.
• 14:58
  Speaker 2: Wasn't not well.
• 15:00
  Speaker 11: I had a great experience at the heavy Wiscardi school.
• 15:04
  Speaker 11: I mean I learned like all my subjects like everyone else.
• 15:10
  Speaker 11: I was able to get a education that let me
• 15:13
  Speaker 11: go to college and get a Region's diploma like all
• 15:18
  Speaker 11: all my parents without disabilities would in public school back then,
• 15:25
  Speaker 11: I probably wouldn't have had the same experience that I
• 15:28
  Speaker 11: did at the Scarti. Like I was able to play
• 15:31
  Speaker 11: basketball my whole time there and do gym and sports
• 15:36
  Speaker 11: and stuff that I can do in public public school.
• 15:39
  Speaker 11: And I also had all the medical Like the medical
• 15:43
  Speaker 11: at Theiscarti's huge stuff. I had all that support. That's different.
• 15:49
  Speaker 8: Regular schools have.
• 15:51
  Speaker 1: Jessica Tambors, who were talking too of the Miscardi alumnus
• 15:55
  Speaker 1: and the Games family as well.
• 15:58
  Speaker 2: And when I start on.
• 15:59
  Speaker 1: The cover of Able, knew that. I said, Hey, this
• 16:01
  Speaker 1: is a great story, so and great to finally catch
• 16:05
  Speaker 1: up with you.
• 16:05
  Speaker 8: We've seen each other.
• 16:06
  Speaker 1: For years all over the place, but finally one year.
• 16:08
  Speaker 8: It is great.
• 16:10
  Speaker 1: Just though it is a disability prime moum so what
• 16:13
  Speaker 1: does that mean to you?
• 16:14
  Speaker 8: And why are you proud? Are you proud to be disabled?
• 16:20
  Speaker 1: Firstly?
• 16:20
  Speaker 2: And why?
• 16:21
  Speaker 1: And what is what do you look forward to now
• 16:24
  Speaker 1: as we hit thirty three years? Where can we go?
• 16:28
  Speaker 1: There's a lot of questions there, so let's start with
• 16:30
  Speaker 1: what does disability prime moms mean to you?
• 16:34
  Speaker 12: It means.
• 16:36
  Speaker 11: Showing the world that we are capable of doing everything
• 16:40
  Speaker 11: that they can. As long as things are accessible and
• 16:47
  Speaker 11: open to us, we can still do it. And having cried,
• 16:52
  Speaker 11: even though you have disability, you still have pride and
• 16:56
  Speaker 11: what you can do or well able to do, and
• 17:01
  Speaker 11: that you're still kicking kind of like even as an adult,
• 17:05
  Speaker 11: is still going and able to do whatever you want
• 17:08
  Speaker 11: to do.
• 17:09
  Speaker 1: In my own class, I've had the pleasure of talking
• 17:12
  Speaker 1: with Keenan Gandhi. You and I have been.
• 17:15
  Speaker 13: Part of the community and a school for what twenty
• 17:20
  Speaker 13: something years, and like I said, you said, we've adapted.
• 17:24
  Speaker 13: And as long as you keep doing what you can
• 17:26
  Speaker 13: do and try your best no matter what your situation is,
• 17:30
  Speaker 13: whether it's fairly independence or not, as long as you
• 17:36
  Speaker 13: buy your best in that regard, you should be able
• 17:41
  Speaker 13: to do it. I mean you will be able to
• 17:42
  Speaker 13: do it as long as you keep trying, doing your
• 17:47
  Speaker 13: best and don't let situations get you down and just
• 17:53
  Speaker 13: keep going. That's my best advice. I mean, because have
• 17:58
  Speaker 13: you done. I can't really give a big main point
• 18:03
  Speaker 13: because every person is different, every disabled person is different,
• 18:07
  Speaker 13: So there's no concrete answer because everyone deals with things
• 18:12
  Speaker 13: a different way or handle, and you know, different disabilities,
• 18:15
  Speaker 13: different so varias of the disability, so there's no clear answer.
• 18:20
  Speaker 13: It's just for your situation. As long as you do
• 18:24
  Speaker 13: your best and do the best you can, you'll you'll
• 18:28
  Speaker 13: get through it. Ever hard chips.
• 18:30
  Speaker 6: You have one thousand person Keenan Gandhi is his name.
• 18:37
  Speaker 6: He's my longtime pal from HBS and Queen's College. Did
• 18:41
  Speaker 6: you find Queen's College was accessible? Did you like that
• 18:45
  Speaker 6: accessibility they had there?
• 18:48
  Speaker 13: Yeah? I mean yeah, I mean that's why it was
• 18:51
  Speaker 13: part of the uh what's that really part of the
• 18:57
  Speaker 13: disability office now, it's just actually it was because of you,
• 19:01
  Speaker 13: because remember when I first got my list of classes,
• 19:05
  Speaker 13: I showed you my schedule and you helped me figure
• 19:08
  Speaker 13: out where all my classes were.
• 19:10
  Speaker 6: That was fun.
• 19:11
  Speaker 14: And then we dormed together for a year, which was
• 19:14
  Speaker 14: also an experience.
• 19:16
  Speaker 13: And a half August twenty yeah to May thirteen, and
• 19:22
  Speaker 13: then you graduated, and then I dormed with Vishaal, our roommate,
• 19:27
  Speaker 13: and then Liam, who was interesting, let's at that, and
• 19:32
  Speaker 13: then I and then I graduated like literally a year
• 19:36
  Speaker 13: after you, but it was literally a year after you.
• 19:41
  Speaker 11: And so.
• 19:44
  Speaker 14: I know you're working at the museum, and I know
• 19:46
  Speaker 14: that you get a lot of the letters from people
• 19:49
  Speaker 14: saying how you've been able to help them, and I
• 19:51
  Speaker 14: know those letters make you feel good. But what what's
• 19:55
  Speaker 14: your goal at that at the Aviah Mudia?
• 19:57
  Speaker 2: What do you want to do?
• 19:58
  Speaker 13: Then there's there's the reasons I started in the museum
• 20:03
  Speaker 13: in the first place, because you know as well as
• 20:07
  Speaker 13: I do that there was no chance for me to teach.
• 20:10
  Speaker 13: Did not want to become a professor professor, didn't want
• 20:13
  Speaker 13: to go for my master's because I didn't want to teach,
• 20:15
  Speaker 13: not that I have anything against going Brodasters. I spent
• 20:18
  Speaker 13: five years in school, three years at NASA, and then
• 20:22
  Speaker 13: two years a year and a half at Queens. So
• 20:24
  Speaker 13: by the time I was done, I was done. So
• 20:27
  Speaker 13: the museum, because of my background being history, more specifically
• 20:34
  Speaker 13: American history, actually a good experience go for my resume,
• 20:40
  Speaker 13: and I learned more historical things along with the aviation
• 20:44
  Speaker 13: sides because and this is my volunteer for guys coming out,
• 20:49
  Speaker 13: and I can do that. But when you when I
• 20:54
  Speaker 13: started with the museum, yes there was a history part
• 20:58
  Speaker 13: of it, but I had no idea that the aviation
• 21:02
  Speaker 13: side on Long Island was huge, and I mean huge.
• 21:06
  Speaker 13: There was mitchell Field, rose Field, there was something else
• 21:11
  Speaker 13: that I don't remember which is real. I said, but
• 21:15
  Speaker 13: Long Island was huge when it comes to history, and
• 21:18
  Speaker 13: the Wright brothers started here, you know what, you know
• 21:22
  Speaker 13: what mitchell Field was a big thing, the Golden Age
• 21:25
  Speaker 13: was and flight was a huge and when you start
• 21:29
  Speaker 13: volunteering there you learn that things you have no idea.
• 21:33
  Speaker 13: I mean, look at it. This why people who live
• 21:35
  Speaker 13: on Long Island comes to that museum all the time
• 21:40
  Speaker 13: and they meet the Dophins, including me, depending on who
• 21:45
  Speaker 13: it is h there. Even though they lived on Long
• 21:51
  Speaker 13: Island for god knows how long, they still have no idea.
• 21:56
  Speaker 13: They still have no idea that aviation on island was massive,
• 22:03
  Speaker 13: that it was a lot of things happened. But that's
• 22:06
  Speaker 13: when they come to us and we have to explain
• 22:10
  Speaker 13: to them They're like, oh wow, really, I'm like, yep.
• 22:14
  Speaker 13: I mean it was like it was like that for
• 22:16
  Speaker 13: me when I first started the mixigan what twenty fourteen
• 22:22
  Speaker 13: and twenty or six years, So twenty twenty one to
• 22:25
  Speaker 13: seven years now now I know I've done. I've been
• 22:29
  Speaker 13: there for seven years.
• 22:31
  Speaker 1: Kudos to Keenan for celebrating ten years at Cradle of Aviation.
• 22:35
  Speaker 1: He just celebrated that yesterday as well. Class of nine
• 22:39
  Speaker 1: represented right there. How about someone who is connected to
• 22:44
  Speaker 1: Viscardi School because he helps get kids into college and
• 22:48
  Speaker 1: actually signs them onto the Qunie Adaptive wheelchair basketball team,
• 22:52
  Speaker 1: Ryan Martin and the impact Viscardi and Quney Adaptive had
• 22:56
  Speaker 1: had and empowering kids with disabilities and high school graduates
• 23:01
  Speaker 1: with disabilities growing up around coaches like Chris Bacon and
• 23:05
  Speaker 1: Joe Salonica. I mean, I've seen them really support this program.
• 23:09
  Speaker 1: What's I mean to have the coaches, you know, your
• 23:11
  Speaker 1: peers support and actually sort of become a pipeline for
• 23:15
  Speaker 1: kids that may be leaving you know, maybe graduate high
• 23:17
  Speaker 1: school one springing into the college scene.
• 23:20
  Speaker 2: In the fall. I mean, what's that like to.
• 23:21
  Speaker 1: Be a pipeline for these coaches and for these kids
• 23:24
  Speaker 1: that want to have a career watcher basketball after high school.
• 23:28
  Speaker 8: You know, it's great.
• 23:29
  Speaker 15: I think everybody understands, you know that the larger picture
• 23:33
  Speaker 15: that's you know, this opportunity provides individuals with disabilities as
• 23:39
  Speaker 15: far as you know, being able to use basketball to
• 23:43
  Speaker 15: get their education and all of those sort of things.
• 23:46
  Speaker 8: So I think it's really critical.
• 23:47
  Speaker 15: To you know, for everybody to you know, want those
• 23:52
  Speaker 15: same things right. And so I think the junior coaches
• 23:55
  Speaker 15: in the in the area, you know, ultimately want the
• 23:59
  Speaker 15: best for their athletes long term, whether that means they
• 24:01
  Speaker 15: come to play acunity, or they go play at another
• 24:04
  Speaker 15: university or just end up going to school. I think
• 24:07
  Speaker 15: it's something we can all get back behind on. And
• 24:11
  Speaker 15: you know, those of us who are in this community
• 24:13
  Speaker 15: understand the value proposition of adaptive sports, you know, brings
• 24:18
  Speaker 15: multiple facets from like a health and wellness, from an employment.
• 24:22
  Speaker 8: Perspective, from a quality of life perspective.
• 24:25
  Speaker 15: And I think anybody who works with young people, whether
• 24:27
  Speaker 15: they're disabled or not, can support those long term notions
• 24:31
  Speaker 15: and visions for those folks.
• 24:35
  Speaker 1: Ran what I honestly loved about this when I first
• 24:38
  Speaker 1: got involved with you guys, in covering you guys, is
• 24:40
  Speaker 1: that as kids, we had the Wheeler basketball program at.
• 24:44
  Speaker 2: Viscardi and then it was sort of the that was it.
• 24:47
  Speaker 1: And I feel like this is opening a world that
• 24:49
  Speaker 1: maybe kids who think of a day to day wherever
• 24:52
  Speaker 1: they're at now don't realize what they're on the new
• 24:55
  Speaker 1: show up and it's got to be like, Wow, what
• 24:56
  Speaker 1: door's opening here?
• 24:58
  Speaker 8: Sure? Yeah, no, agreed. I think it's uh, I think
• 25:06
  Speaker 8: that's the hope, right and.
• 25:07
  Speaker 15: I think long term, you know, I hope that we
• 25:10
  Speaker 15: can see this program being a fixture within the you know,
• 25:14
  Speaker 15: within the city, within the university, and then.
• 25:17
  Speaker 8: Just the disabled community as general.
• 25:20
  Speaker 15: You know. I think, uh, it's it's really hard to
• 25:24
  Speaker 15: compete in today's economy, you know, without the best education
• 25:28
  Speaker 15: and all of that sort of stuff. And I think
• 25:30
  Speaker 15: the benefit for a individual from New York to stay
• 25:34
  Speaker 15: and go to school at Quniti is more cost affordable,
• 25:37
  Speaker 15: you know, and so being able to access that education,
• 25:40
  Speaker 15: you know, at a good institution and then being able to.
• 25:45
  Speaker 8: You know, play the sport that you grew up and
• 25:47
  Speaker 8: you love.
• 25:47
  Speaker 15: To play and you know you want to play your
• 25:49
  Speaker 15: whole life is I think it's really critical and so hopefully,
• 25:54
  Speaker 15: hopefully this is a small step each day and towards
• 25:56
  Speaker 15: that ultimate goal there.
• 25:58
  Speaker 2: Did you feel like you had the chain to live
• 26:00
  Speaker 2: out this dream of going from you know, playing as
• 26:04
  Speaker 2: a kid into into college or is this something that
• 26:07
  Speaker 2: you kind of wish you had growth you know, growing up,
• 26:09
  Speaker 2: if you will, from teenager in the twenties and whatnot.
• 26:14
  Speaker 15: Yeah, I mean for me, like I've I've had a
• 26:16
  Speaker 15: really you know, awesome opportunity to you know, playing allays,
• 26:21
  Speaker 15: play professionally, come back and win some NWBA championships with
• 26:24
  Speaker 15: the Knicks, and you know, as a kid, this was
• 26:27
  Speaker 15: beyond my wildiest stream, right just because you know, there
• 26:31
  Speaker 15: was very I think there was maybe a few schools
• 26:33
  Speaker 15: that we're doing like adaptive sports at the collegiate level
• 26:35
  Speaker 15: at the time. And so now that that number has
• 26:38
  Speaker 15: continued to increase, and I think you see you know,
• 26:42
  Speaker 15: growth at the adaptive sports movement you know throughout the country.
• 26:45
  Speaker 15: You know, in large part too, you know, the Paralympic
• 26:48
  Speaker 15: games and the media attention that draws and the trickle
• 26:51
  Speaker 15: down effect of that attention. And so I think right now,
• 26:56
  Speaker 15: you know, a kid with the disability can see like,
• 26:58
  Speaker 15: oh I can go to college and play spore, and
• 27:00
  Speaker 15: then I can go to Europe, and then I can
• 27:02
  Speaker 15: represent my country and I can win medals, and you know,
• 27:05
  Speaker 15: I can do this and I can do that, which
• 27:07
  Speaker 15: I think is really a powerful tool of representation that
• 27:11
  Speaker 15: I don't think existed when I was growing up. But
• 27:15
  Speaker 15: I really can't complain about my journey. I think the
• 27:17
  Speaker 15: sport gave me more individually than I can ever give
• 27:21
  Speaker 15: back to others. But hopefully I can kind of even
• 27:23
  Speaker 15: the score at some point here.
• 27:25
  Speaker 1: Two alumnus from not only Viscartney but CuNi, Malkit and
• 27:29
  Speaker 1: Destiny also joined me during that Qunie Adaptive Wheelchair Basketball run.
• 27:34
  Speaker 1: Well to end this month of college basketball, I mean,
• 27:37
  Speaker 1: we had the tournament and I kind of want to
• 27:39
  Speaker 1: put a bow on it by bringing on the two
• 27:42
  Speaker 1: main folks that you mentioned that you might have heard
• 27:44
  Speaker 1: a lot about my CuNi Adaptive conversations with Ryan Martin,
• 27:49
  Speaker 1: Malket Sing and Destiny Murray. The ogs from the HVS
• 27:55
  Speaker 1: years are all on me right now to recap not
• 27:58
  Speaker 1: only Texas but the first year year cut you Adapters
• 28:01
  Speaker 1: wheelchair Basketball and guys, welcome on to my podcast, So
• 28:08
  Speaker 1: talk to me. What was that trip to Texas.
• 28:10
  Speaker 16: Like first of all, so one thing I could say
• 28:14
  Speaker 16: it was a good experience to actually have the opportunity
• 28:18
  Speaker 16: as a new program to go down to show up.
• 28:21
  Speaker 12: Our program, to play against different teams and see the
• 28:26
  Speaker 12: different levels there is and what we have to do.
• 28:29
  Speaker 7: As a team to come back and be strong with
• 28:34
  Speaker 7: so like learn new skills and you know, be ready
• 28:39
  Speaker 7: for stronger competition.
• 28:43
  Speaker 17: And Malki yep, to add on to that, actually it
• 28:47
  Speaker 17: shows us. It give us the opportunity to.
• 28:50
  Speaker 16: Show where we where we're at our.
• 28:53
  Speaker 18: First year program and hopefully like we could have done
• 28:57
  Speaker 18: better like overall given the experienced players we have, but
• 29:03
  Speaker 18: I think we did pretty much a good actual soil
• 29:06
  Speaker 18: of the job to show that.
• 29:09
  Speaker 17: We're a good team that can make progress.
• 29:12
  Speaker 1: All right, I've got to ask you this because not
• 29:14
  Speaker 1: only did you guys make an impact at the Qunity
• 29:19
  Speaker 1: level and the national level, but I think it hits
• 29:22
  Speaker 1: home with Viscardia. I'm hoping that that influences kids coming
• 29:27
  Speaker 1: out of a SCARTI to join CuNi Adaptive.
• 29:29
  Speaker 2: Is that in the works at all?
• 29:30
  Speaker 1: Can you guys elaborate on that at all?
• 29:34
  Speaker 2: For me?
• 29:35
  Speaker 12: I would say yes, because now that Viscardi has this
• 29:40
  Speaker 12: new program. It gives more opportunity for them to see
• 29:47
  Speaker 12: because we're being advertised and with our coach, you know,
• 29:51
  Speaker 12: going out talking more about the new program.
• 29:56
  Speaker 2: It can help. Like when.
• 30:01
  Speaker 18: So many kids say, oh, they want to go to.
• 30:02
  Speaker 12: School to play ball, they know exactly which schools to
• 30:06
  Speaker 12: apply to so they could come and play for our program.
• 30:11
  Speaker 2: But yeah, how about you monkey? What what are you hearing?
• 30:16
  Speaker 17: Yeah, I can agree with that what Destiny said, but
• 30:20
  Speaker 17: they can give Like usually a lot of kids, uh
• 30:24
  Speaker 17: I think that just playing at Riscardio be the end
• 30:27
  Speaker 17: of it or but now they have an actual option
• 30:31
  Speaker 17: to take it further.
• 30:33
  Speaker 18: And even if they don't come to Keuny.
• 30:35
  Speaker 17: They can see like the team that we played against
• 30:39
  Speaker 17: gives them options for colleges as well out of state
• 30:42
  Speaker 17: did a lot of kids like wesually had to go
• 30:44
  Speaker 17: out of state for school, so it gives them out
• 30:47
  Speaker 17: of options as well.
• 30:48
  Speaker 1: All right, this was the first year, as we've been
• 30:51
  Speaker 1: talking about basically all the time here on this podcast,
• 30:53
  Speaker 1: and it really isn't though, because this was formed pre pandemic.
• 30:56
  Speaker 1: Pandemic hits. So Destiny as someone who I could say
• 31:01
  Speaker 1: was the creator of all of this. I mean, you
• 31:02
  Speaker 1: brought the vein of Viscarti into Cuny with this idea.
• 31:07
  Speaker 1: Are you how impressed are you that you guys all
• 31:10
  Speaker 1: messed at the right time just out of a pandemic.
• 31:14
  Speaker 1: It's it's quite remarkable if you think about it.
• 31:17
  Speaker 13: Yes, it is.
• 31:18
  Speaker 12: To be honest, I did not think the program would
• 31:21
  Speaker 12: have made it this far, because, like I said, it
• 31:24
  Speaker 12: was just an idea that was on the table already.
• 31:28
  Speaker 12: But I was basically the spoke person for it. And
• 31:32
  Speaker 12: that was something that I enjoyed playing at Viscarti. And
• 31:36
  Speaker 12: you know, everyone in my family.
• 31:38
  Speaker 2: Is a ball player.
• 31:39
  Speaker 12: So for me to go to college and the college
• 31:42
  Speaker 12: that I was in, which is Hostos Community College is
• 31:46
  Speaker 12: known for their.
• 31:47
  Speaker 2: Basketball team, can not have.
• 31:52
  Speaker 12: Disabled or a wheelchair basketball team for people with disability.
• 31:58
  Speaker 12: I felt some guide away.
• 31:59
  Speaker 17: So it's just like, you know, I want to play,
• 32:01
  Speaker 17: and they.
• 32:02
  Speaker 12: Were just like the coach that I spoke to is like, oh,
• 32:05
  Speaker 12: I don't want to hurt your feelings, but you know
• 32:07
  Speaker 12: our basketball team is for ablebody and no, it's not
• 32:11
  Speaker 12: an answer to me.
• 32:12
  Speaker 7: So that was my.
• 32:13
  Speaker 19: Opportunity to take that note and turn into it.
• 32:16
  Speaker 7: Yes, and now we have the Counity Wilchair basketball team.
• 32:19
  Speaker 12: And after graduating from VISCARTI I didn't think that there
• 32:25
  Speaker 12: was going to be a program.
• 32:26
  Speaker 2: That I could continue to play.
• 32:28
  Speaker 19: Ball, and I had stopped playing ball for two years
• 32:31
  Speaker 19: and then, like, I knew there were programs, but I
• 32:35
  Speaker 19: didn't know like how to go about to.
• 32:39
  Speaker 2: Tap into the program to join.
• 32:41
  Speaker 10: Or sign up.
• 32:44
  Speaker 1: How about you, Molkia, Just does it open your eyes
• 32:46
  Speaker 1: at all? I mean, I know you went to Edinburgh,
• 32:48
  Speaker 1: but so actually I was.
• 32:50
  Speaker 17: Kind of an opposite because while I was playing at Viscarty,
• 32:56
  Speaker 17: I was actually playing for a travel.
• 32:58
  Speaker 16: Team known as a long A Lightning.
• 33:01
  Speaker 18: Currently known as the New York Own Furry.
• 33:02
  Speaker 17: So while planning oversto it was kind of like a
• 33:08
  Speaker 17: recreational level for me because you're the Lightning Fury team
• 33:13
  Speaker 17: was already prepping us for college level collegiate level basketball
• 33:20
  Speaker 17: from playing there. Like good, I already knew about Edinburgh.
• 33:27
  Speaker 17: I was actually trying to get to go to Illinois
• 33:30
  Speaker 17: since the eighth grade part. I mean, I think it
• 33:33
  Speaker 17: was a turnsive plan for me, But yeah, but I
• 33:36
  Speaker 17: knew knowledge wise, I knew about these programs from the
• 33:39
  Speaker 17: from them.
• 33:41
  Speaker 1: What impact do you want to leave behind, is you
• 33:44
  Speaker 1: when you do move on to to the world outside
• 33:47
  Speaker 1: of QUT adaptive.
• 33:48
  Speaker 12: Speaking on behalf of the girls and since we only
• 33:51
  Speaker 12: have five girls, three of us were new, well four
• 33:55
  Speaker 12: of us were new to the team. I honestly feel
• 33:59
  Speaker 12: like we.
• 33:59
  Speaker 2: Are going to make it.
• 34:02
  Speaker 8: With this program.
• 34:04
  Speaker 12: One thing I can say is that I would want
• 34:06
  Speaker 12: this program to still be you know, out there for
• 34:11
  Speaker 12: us as counity students, incoming students, even for like when
• 34:15
  Speaker 12: we graduate, we could come back and recruit, like help
• 34:19
  Speaker 12: with recruiting.
• 34:21
  Speaker 19: It gives us an opportunity.
• 34:23
  Speaker 12: To you know, speak more on our program and be
• 34:27
  Speaker 12: advertised more.
• 34:29
  Speaker 17: Yeah, being like a student with a disability as well,
• 34:32
  Speaker 17: like in a state like New York where there's people
• 34:36
  Speaker 17: with disabilities all over, it actually gave us the opportunity
• 34:42
  Speaker 17: like that, they show that there's a whole program that's
• 34:46
  Speaker 17: actually supportive and motivates us to want to be here
• 34:51
  Speaker 17: and actually impact the program.
• 34:53
  Speaker 8: I have to have a solar future for.
• 34:57
  Speaker 1: Of course, I can't let this one go with that. Well,
• 35:01
  Speaker 1: this little speech from Max Gold, who we always honor
• 35:06
  Speaker 1: today and every day, and I want to bring that
• 35:09
  Speaker 1: to your attention. It's his best man's speech from Jake's
• 35:12
  Speaker 1: wedding and I got to replay here on the Alex
• 35:15
  Speaker 1: Gartt podcast network for a DA day.
• 35:17
  Speaker 20: Those who don't know me, I'm Max's youngest bro in
• 35:21
  Speaker 20: the nest.
• 35:22
  Speaker 21: I've always done speeches for fundraisers, and now I'm doing
• 35:27
  Speaker 21: my first best man's speech for.
• 35:37
  Speaker 20: He is quite the hunk. Most best man's features are
• 35:44
  Speaker 20: known to Rose de Groom completely make fun.
• 35:47
  Speaker 21: And embarrassed hell out of them.
• 35:52
  Speaker 8: I'm not going to do that tonight.
• 35:55
  Speaker 20: Instead, I'm going to focus on all the great and
• 35:58
  Speaker 20: amazing quality that Jake has, Like.
• 36:19
  Speaker 13: No, just kidding.
• 36:22
  Speaker 21: From the beginning, Jake and I had a typical.
• 36:24
  Speaker 20: Bronterly relationshift jealously resentment ad fights.
• 36:34
  Speaker 21: For example, we would figure back and forth on what
• 36:37
  Speaker 21: to watch on TV. We would negotiate at times, and
• 36:41
  Speaker 21: sometimes I'd win if and only if there were no
• 36:46
  Speaker 21: sports sports we waited shows on. So typically I was
• 36:55
  Speaker 21: Jake has always been an opinionated soul, sharing of passion
• 37:00
  Speaker 21: and police generous so you with others. For those who
• 37:06
  Speaker 21: don't know, Jake's.
• 37:08
  Speaker 20: Major as an undergrad was history and political science. Who
• 37:13
  Speaker 20: knows we could have had a gold house instead of
• 37:19
  Speaker 20: a White House, and we still may.
• 37:28
  Speaker 21: Many people here today know that Jake's finest attributes are
• 37:31
  Speaker 21: his sensitivity, kindness, and concern others. He's always He's always
• 37:40
  Speaker 21: been like that to me as a brother, getting involved
• 37:43
  Speaker 21: with its freshman activity it's like wheelchair basketball, can't bank
• 37:47
  Speaker 21: her and taking me on vacation every year. Over time,
• 37:55
  Speaker 21: Jake realized he can use his unique and personal experiences
• 37:59
  Speaker 21: to his to his advantage in helping others. As you
• 38:04
  Speaker 21: all know.
• 38:04
  Speaker 20: Jacob the nurse, he uses his heart to get a patience.
• 38:09
  Speaker 21: One big thing that is needed during some.
• 38:12
  Speaker 20: Of the hardest moments in life compassion. Not only do
• 38:18
  Speaker 20: they use his knowledge of science and medicine to heal,
• 38:23
  Speaker 20: he had an ability to provide DLCC and instill confidence
• 38:30
  Speaker 20: that they are in good hands and will get better.
• 38:37
  Speaker 20: The combination of being opinionated and compassionate has sometimes resulted
• 38:44
  Speaker 20: in Jake and I getting into trouble with authority figures
• 38:50
  Speaker 20: and places like airport terminals and Thesonian Museum.
• 38:57
  Speaker 8: What Going.
• 38:57
  Speaker 21: We never ended up in jail, but there were several
• 39:02
  Speaker 21: There were several White lessons that served as a driving
• 39:07
  Speaker 21: force in teaching me and teaching me to stick up
• 39:11
  Speaker 21: forever myself and person and push me to overcome obstacles
• 39:16
  Speaker 21: in life. So Ali, you couldn't have fallen in love
• 39:24
  Speaker 21: with Jake for his good looks and his personality. I'm
• 39:30
  Speaker 21: thinking you.
• 39:31
  Speaker 22: Fell in love with Jake for the overflow of fautiful heart,
• 39:37
  Speaker 22: as compassionate and carrying his cheek had been with me
• 39:42
  Speaker 22: in patient at work, if patience at work, and especially
• 39:46
  Speaker 22: without a family, too thick and thin, he will always
• 39:50
  Speaker 22: be the He.
• 39:51
  Speaker 21: Will always be this way with you. I see the
• 39:56
  Speaker 21: way he looks at you, and I know that that
• 40:01
  Speaker 21: you will received all that of passion and more. You
• 40:07
  Speaker 21: are truly a lucky woman, and I couldn't be happier
• 40:11
  Speaker 21: to call you my sister in law. To Jake and
• 40:15
  Speaker 21: out of.
• 40:20
  Speaker 1: And there you go some of the amazing voices of Viscardi.
• 40:24
  Speaker 1: On this the thirty fourth anniversary weekend of the Americans
• 40:28
  Speaker 1: with Disabilities Act. I'm Alex Garrett and this is the
• 40:32
  Speaker 1: Alex Garrett Podcast Network.