Henry Viscardi Achievement Awards

Last updated
Henry Viscardi Achievement Awards
Awarded for"To recognize exemplary leaders within the global disability community and their extraordinary societal contributions"
Country United States
Presented byThe Viscardi center
First awarded2013
Website www.viscardiawards.org
2017 Henry Viscardi Achievement Awardees 2017 Henry Viscardi Achievement Awardees.jpg
2017 Henry Viscardi Achievement Awardees

The Henry Viscardi Achievement Awards were established to honor the legacy of the founder of the Viscardi Center, Dr. Henry Viscardi, Jr., a leading disability rights advocate who wore prosthetic limbs. These international Awards, first conferred in 2013, recognize exemplary leaders in the disability sector around the globe who have had a profound impact on changing the lives of people with disabilities and championing their rights. [1] Considered as most prestigious, these global awards honor champions of disability activism.

Contents

List of awardees

YearAwardeeCountry
2021 [2]
Lalit Kumar - Evara FoundationFlag of India.svg  India
Rebecca Cokley - Ford FoundationFlag of the United States.svg  United States
Paul W. Schroeder - American Printing House for the BlindFlag of the United States.svg  United States
Dani Bowman - DaniMation EntertainmentFlag of the United States.svg  United States
Deepak KC - World Bank Group Nepal/National Paralympic Committee of NepalFlag of Nepal.svg    Nepal
Miguel Tomasín - ReynolsFlag of Argentina.svg  Argentina
Scott Michael Robertson - ODEPFlag of the United States.svg  United States
2020 [3]
Nguyen Thi Lan Anh - Action to the Community Development InstituteFlag of Vietnam.svg  Vietnam
Caroline Casey (activist) - The Valuable 500Flag of Ireland.svg  Ireland
James R. “JR” Harding - Florida State UniversityFlag of the United States.svg  United States
Judith Heumann - The Heumann ConnectionFlag of the United States.svg  United States
Andrew J. Imparato - Disability Rights CaliforniaFlag of the United States.svg  United States
Braam Jordaan - Convo CommunicationsFlag of South Africa.svg  South Africa
Jaime Huerta Peralta - Universidad Privada del NorteFlag of Peru.svg  Peru
Edmund “EQ” Sylvester - United States Adaptive Golf AllianceFlag of the United States.svg  United States
Faʻatino Masunu Utumapu - Nuanua O Le AlofaFlag of Samoa.svg  Samoa
Duong Thi Van - Hanoi Association of People with DisabilitiesFlag of Vietnam.svg  Vietnam
James J. Weisman - United Spinal AssociationFlag of the United States.svg  United States
2019 [4]
Major Jas Boothe - Final Salute IncFlag of the United States.svg  United States
SFC Joseph Bowser - U.S. ArmyFlag of the United States.svg  United States
Virginia A. Jacko - Miami Lighthouse for the BlindFlag of the United States.svg  United States
Kamran Khan - Saaya Association of Persons with DisabilitiesFlag of Pakistan.svg  Pakistan
Abha Khetarpal - Cross the HurdlesFlag of India.svg  India
Dinesh Palipana - Gold Coast HealthFlag of Australia (converted).svg  Australia
Chano Park - Seoul Center for Independent LivingFlag of South Korea.svg  South Korea
Ali Stroker - Tony Award-Winning ActressFlag of the United States.svg  United States
Yves Veulliet - IBMFlag of Belgium (civil).svg  Belgium
Dr. Hoang-Yen Thi Vo - Disability Research and Capacity DevelopmentFlag of Vietnam.svg  Vietnam
2018 [5]
Maria Town - Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities, TexasFlag of the United States.svg  United States
Alireza Darvishy - Zurich University of Applied SciencesFlag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg   Switzerland
Ilan Gilon - The KnessetFlag of Israel.svg  Israel
Frederick M. Franks, Jr. - Retired Four-Star General of the U.S. Army, FloridaFlag of the United States.svg  United States
Prudence Mabhena - Prudence Mabhena Music, ZimbabweFlag of Zimbabwe.svg  Zimbabwe
Thomas A. Hoffer - Regional Health Command – Pacific, WashingtonFlag of the United States.svg  United States
Bonface Ophiyah Massah, Association of Persons with Albinism in MalawiFlag of Malawi.svg  Malawi
Jawaid Rais - Disabled Welfare Association, PakistanFlag of Pakistan.svg  Pakistan
Glen W. White - Delta Air Lines Advisory Board on Disability, KansasFlag of the United States.svg  United States
Mohammed Yousuf - EquallyAble Foundation, WashingtonFlag of the United States.svg  United States
2017 [6]
Gregory D. Gadson - U.S. Army Veteran, Patriot Strategies, VAFlag of the United States.svg  United States
Dr Satendra Singh – Disability Rights Activist, University College of Medical Sciences, DelhiFlag of India.svg  India
Justin Constantine- Inspirational speaker, Constantine Group, New YorkFlag of the United States.svg  United States
Yuval Wagner – founder Access IsraelFlag of Israel.svg  Israel
Hendrietta Bogopane-Zulu- Deputy Minister, Department of Social Development Flag of South Africa.svg  South Africa
Matt King – Facebook, CAFlag of the United States.svg  United States
Vashkar Bhattachearjee – Young Power in Social ActionFlag of Bangladesh.svg  Bangladesh
Thomas J. Wlodkowski – ComCast, PAFlag of the United States.svg  United States
Asim Zafar – Saaya AssociationFlag of Pakistan.svg  Pakistan
2016
Jim Mayer - U.S. Army/Vietnam Veteran (ret.), Walter Reed Hospital, Washington, DCFlag of the United States.svg  United States
Hiroyasu Itoh - Chairman, Japan Abilities, Tokyo [7] Flag of Japan.svg  Japan
Dr. Louise Sinden-Carroll - International Federation of Hard of Hearing People, AucklandFlag of New Zealand.svg  New Zealand
Juan Pablo Salazar Salamanca, President, National Council on Disability and Presidential Advisor, BogotáFlag of Colombia.svg  Colombia
PJ Edington - IBM Government & Regulatory Affairs Executive, Washington, D.C.Flag of the United States.svg  United States
Dave McGill - VP, Reimbursement & Compliance, Ossur, Centerport, NYFlag of the United States.svg  United States
Saima Aslam - National Forum of Women with DisabilitiesFlag of Pakistan.svg  Pakistan
Senarath Attanayake, Uva Provincial Council, Colombo [8] Flag of Sri Lanka.svg  Sri Lanka
Peggy Chenoweth, Author/Advocate/Blogger, Gainesville, VirginiaFlag of the United States.svg  United States
Curtis Pride, former Major League Baseball player, MLB’s Ambassador for Disability Inclusion, New York CityFlag of the United States.svg  United States
2015
Jim Gibbons President & CEO, Goodwill Industries InternationalFlag of the United States.svg  United States
Mark Johnson Chair, ADA Legacy Project and Director of Advocacy at Shepherd CenterFlag of the United States.svg  United States
Mark Wafer President, Megleen, operating as Tim HortonsFlag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Canada
David Krupa CEO, The Range of Motion ProjectFlag of the United States.svg  United States
Ed Lucas – Founder, The Ed Lucas Foundation; Sports JournalistFlag of the United States.svg  United States
Winfred G. Mugure – University of NairobiFlag of Kenya.svg  Kenya
Toby Olson – Executive Secretary to the Governor’s Committee on Disability Issues and Employment for the State of WashingtonFlag of the United States.svg  United States
Lonnie C. Moore – U.S. Army Warrior Transition CommandFlag of the United States.svg  United States
Marilyn E. Saviola – Senior Vice President for Advocacy and the Women’s Health ProgramFlag of the United States.svg  United States
2014
Marlee Matlin – Academy Award & Golden Globe Award-winning ActressFlag of the United States.svg  United States
Yevgeniy Tetyukhin – Professor at the Petropavlovsk North Kazakhstan State UniversityFlag of Kazakhstan.svg  Kazakhstan
Jim Abbott – Former MLB Pitcher & Gold Medal Olympian [9] Flag of the United States.svg  United States
Maryanne Diamond – General Manager Advocacy and Engagement at Vision Australia [10] Flag of Australia (converted).svg  Australia
Marca Bristo – President & CEO of Access Living of Metropolitan Chicago [11] Flag of the United States.svg  United States
Ron McCallum – Emeritus Professor at The University of Sydney [12] Flag of Australia (converted).svg  Australia
Rory A. Cooper – Distinguished Professor at the University of Pittsburgh [13] Flag of the United States.svg  United States
Neil Jacobson – Founder & CEO of AbilicorpFlag of the United States.svg  United States
Arlene Mayerson – Attorney at the Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund Flag of the United States.svg  United States
Thomas Porter – Volunteer at Walter Reed National Military Medical CenterFlag of the United States.svg  United States
Susan Sygall – Co-founder & CEO of Mobility International USA (MIUSA)Flag of the United States.svg  United States
Mary Verdi-Fletcher – President & Founding Artistic Director of Dancing WheelsFlag of the United States.svg  United States
2013
Laurie Ahern – President, Disability Rights International Flag of the United States.svg  United States
Tony Coelho – Primary Sponsor of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990Flag of the United States.svg  United States
Rosangela Berman Bieler – Senior Advisor on Children with Disabilities, UNICEFFlag of the United States.svg  United States
Michael Ashley Stein – Executive Director, Harvard Law School Project on DisabilityFlag of the United States.svg  United States
Kathleen Martinez – Assistant Secretary, U.S. Department of LaborFlag of the United States.svg  United States
Patrick D. Rummerfield – Community Liaison, International Center for Spinal Cord Injury, Kennedy-Krieger InstituteFlag of the United States.svg  United States
Yoav Kraiem – Chairman, National Council for Community Relations – Mental HealthFlag of the United States.svg  United States
Lex Frieden – Director, Independent Living Research Utilization program at TIRR Memorial HermannFlag of the United States.svg  United States
U.S. Rep. James R. Langevin – Rhode Island’s 2nd Congressional DistrictFlag of the United States.svg  United States

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marlee Matlin</span> American actress (born 1965)

Marlee Matlin is an American actress. She is the recipient of numerous awards, including an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, and a Screen Actors Guild Award, in addition to nominations for a BAFTA Award, and four Primetime Emmy Awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Lewis</span> American politician and civil rights leader (1940–2020)

John Robert Lewis was an American politician and civil rights activist who served in the United States House of Representatives for Georgia's 5th congressional district from 1987 until his death in 2020. He participated in the 1960 Nashville sit-ins, the Freedom Rides, was the chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) from 1963 to 1966, and was one of the "Big Six" leaders of groups who organized the 1963 March on Washington. Fulfilling many key roles in the civil rights movement and its actions to end legalized racial segregation in the United States, in 1965 Lewis led the first of three Selma to Montgomery marches across the Edmund Pettus Bridge where, in an incident which became known as Bloody Sunday, state troopers and police attacked Lewis and the other marchers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lex Frieden</span> American educator, researcher, disability policy expert and disability rights activist

Lex Frieden is an American educator, researcher, disability policy expert and disability rights activist. Frieden has been called "a chief architect of the Americans with Disabilities Act." He is also regarded as a founder and leader of the independent living movement by people with disabilities in the U.S.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Judith Heumann</span> American disability activist (1947–2023)

Judith Ellen "Judy" Heumann was an American disability rights activist, known as the "Mother of the Disability Rights Movement". She was recognized internationally as a leader in the disability community. Heumann was a lifelong civil rights advocate for people with disabilities. Her work with governments and non-governmental organizations (NGOs), nonprofits, and various other disability interest groups significantly contributed to the development of human rights legislation and policies benefiting children and adults with disabilities. Through her work in the World Bank and the State Department, Heumann led the mainstreaming of disability rights into international development. Her contributions extended the international reach of the independent living movement.

Disability Rights International (DRI), formerly Mental Disability Rights International, is a Washington, DC–based human rights advocacy organization dedicated to promoting the human rights and full participation in society of persons with disabilities worldwide. DRI documents conditions, publishes reports, and promotes international oversight of the rights of persons with disabilities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Henry Viscardi School</span> School in Albertson, NY, USA

Henry Viscardi School is a state supported special school operated by the Viscardi Center in New York for severely disabled students requiring a specialized educational setting with medical supports. The location is in Albertson, New York. The school enrolls students in grades pre-K through 12. The school was originally called The Human Resources School. Founded by Henry Viscardi Jr. and supported by public and private initiatives, the tuition-free school was the only one of its kind in the world. It was renamed in honor of its founder.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Senarath Attanayake</span> Sri Lankan politician (1966–2017)

Attanayake Mudiyanselage Kithsiri Senarath Bandara Attanayake known as Senarath Attanayake was a Sri Lankan politician and lawyer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Satendra Singh (doctor)</span> Medical doctor and activist

Dr Satendra Singh is a medical doctor at the University College of Medical Sciences and Guru Tegh Bahadur Hospital, Delhi. A physiologist by profession, Singh contracted poliomyelitis at the age of nine months but went on to complete a Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery from Ganesh Shankar Vidyarthi Memorial Medical College, Kanpur and later on Doctor of Medicine in Physiology. He is the first-ever Indian to win the prestigious Henry Viscardi Achievement Awards given to extraordinary leaders in the global disability community.

Susan E. Sygall is an American disability rights advocate and civil rights leader. She is the CEO of Mobility International USA (MIUSA), which she co-founded in 1981.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Caroline Casey (activist)</span> Irish disability activist and management consultant

Caroline Casey is an Irish activist and management consultant. She is legally blind due to ocular albinism. In 2000, aged 28, she left her job in Accenture to launch the Aisling Foundation, with an aim to improve how disability is treated. In 2001, she trekked across India, solo, on elephant back for c.1,000 km, raising €250k for The National Council for the Blind of Ireland and Sightsavers. Casey became the first female mahout from the west. The journey was the subject of a National Geographic documentary Elephant Vision and a TED Talk.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Henry Viscardi Jr.</span>

Henry Viscardi Jr. (1912-2004) was an American disability rights advocate who championed the cause of equality and employment of disabled people in workforce. In 1952, on Eleanor Roosevelt's advice, he founded Abilities, Inc. which has now expanded to the Viscardi Center - a non-profit organization and global leader advocating for the empowerment of people with disabilities. To provide equal educational opportunities to children with disabilities of all ages, he founded the Human Resources School in Albertson, New York in 1952, which was later renamed the Henry Viscardi School in his honor. He served as advisor to several US presidents bringing many policy changes in the disability sector. He is also the author of the book Give Us The Tools. In his honour, the Viscardi Center in 2013 started the Henry Viscardi Achievement Awards to identify and recognize exemplary leaders from the disability community.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John D. Kemp</span> American disability rights leader (born 1949)

John D. Kemp is an American disability rights leader who co-founded the American Association of People with Disabilities and is currently the president and chief executive of the Lakeshore Foundation in Birmingham, Alabama.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Viscardi Center</span>

The Viscardi Center is a non-profit organization in Albertson, New York, dedicated to educating, empowering and employing people with disabilities. It was founded in 1952 by Henry Viscardi, Jr., a noted disability activist, who was also advisor to eight US Presidents on matters pertaining to disability policies. John D. Kemp is the current President of the Viscardi Center.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marilyn Saviola</span> American disability rights activist (1945–2019)

Marilyn E. Saviola was an American disability rights activist, executive director of the Center for the Independence of the Disabled in New York from 1983 to 1999, and vice president of Independence Care System after 2000. Saviola, a polio survivor from Manhattan, New York, is known nationally within the disability rights movement for her advocacy for people with disabilities and had accepted many awards and honors for her work.

Abha Khetarpal is an Indian disability rights activist and counsellor based in New Delhi, India. She is the founder of Cross The Hurdles – a counselling/educational resource website and mobile application designed for people with disabilities.

John Lee Cronin is an American entrepreneur and advocate who has Down syndrome. He is the co-founder of John's Crazy Socks, a social enterprise with a mission to spread happiness. Cronin is the first entrepreneur with Down syndrome to win the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award and is also the recipient of the Henry Viscardi Achievement Award. He was named an alternate to the U.S. National Snowshoe Team for the Special Olympics World Games in March 2017.

References

  1. "Nominations open for Henry Viscardi Achievement Awards". The Island Now. 2017.
  2. "2021 HVAA Recipients". Viscardi Center. Retrieved 27 January 2022.
  3. "2020 HVAA Recipients". Viscardi Center. Retrieved 15 December 2020.
  4. "Past HVAA Recipients". Viscardi Center. Archived from the original on 25 March 2019. Retrieved 19 November 2020.
  5. "2017 Henry Viscardi Achievement Awards recipients". Viscardi Center. Archived from the original on 25 March 2022. Retrieved 24 December 2018.
  6. "2017 Henry Viscardi Achievement Awards recipients". Viscardi Center. Archived from the original on 4 January 2018. Retrieved 8 December 2017.
  7. "2016 Henry Viscardi Achievement Award Recipients". The Viscardi Center. Archived from the original on 25 March 2019. Retrieved 19 November 2017.
  8. "Tribute to Mr. Senarath Attanayake". Centre for Monitoring Election Violence. 2016. 8 September 2017.
  9. "Viscardi Achievement Awards Announced". ADA Legacy. 2014.
  10. "Two Australians Win Major US Award". Third Watch. 2014.
  11. "Marca Bristo selected for 2014 Henry Viscardi Achievement Award Honoree". Access Living. 2014.
  12. "Two Australian leaders who are blind recognised with international Award". Vision Australia. 2014.
  13. "Cooper Receives Viscardi Award". University of Pittsburgh. 2014.

See also