A Message From Joe Arculeo

by Joe Arculeo

If you walk around the campus of Adelphi, you will see three unique individuals. Two of them, both in hats and glasses, might be speeding down campus paths. One gets around by riding a scooter; the other is in a wheelchair. The third student might be walking along side of them. Who are these people? They are Brett Eisenberg, Sarah Cronin, and myself, Joe Arculeo. We are the first three individuals with physical disabilities to ever live on Adelphi's campus.

Sarah is a freshman student from Copiague New York, who is thinking about pursuing a career in business.  If you look at her from the top, you will see that her hair is short with natural highlights. If you look a little further you will see her short arms that characterize her disability. Brett, who rides the scooter, is also a freshman. He is from the Bronx, and is thinking about a business career, too. He usually wears a hat that covers a bushel of out-of-control hair, glasses, and a very serious face.

I am also a freshman. I come from Massapequa Park, New York, and I have plans to become a sports journalist for a major newspaper. Along with my hat and glasses, I usually wear an Adelphi key tie around my neck.

Sarah chose to come to Adelphi because it was the only college that offered her a bathroom inside of her dorm room. She also like the fact that there weren't that many disabled people living at Adelphi. She wanted to be a pioneer in educating the students of Adelphi about disabilities.

Brett says that he came to Adelphi because it was accessibility features that he needed such as doors that open automatically. Joe came to Adelphi because he liked the size of the campus, and the fact that the student to faculty ratio was a lot smaller than it is in other colleges.

Joyce George who is the coordinator for Disabled Services at Adelphi says that before we came to Adelphi, students didn't use the office until it was absolutely She feels that disabled people didn't come to Adelphi, because it wasn't completely and totally accessible to their needs.

Before coming to Adelphi, they all attended Henry Viscardi High School in Albertson, New York. Henry Viscardi is a school that is strictly devoted to providing an education for students with physical disabilities. Dr. Henry Viscardi Jr. founded the school in 1968. Viscardi himself had a disability. He became an amputee, when he lost his leg at a very young age. When he founded the school, his intentions were not only to provide an education for students with disabilities, but also to provide gainful employment to those who deserved it either inside or outside of the educational facility.

Thirty-one years later, at the age of eighty-seven, Dr. Viscardi is alive and able to see his dreams turn into reality. The Henry Viscardi School is divided into three sections. The first section is an elementary school, which is responsible for educating children from pre-kindergarten to sixth grade. The second section is a junior high, and a senior high all rolled up into one building. There is no need to transfer from school to school, like it is in regular schools, when you attend Viscardi. The third section is entitled "Abilities" or "The National Center for Disability Services." In this section of the building, people come for vocational training.

Even though Sarah and Brett didn't participate in Viscardi's vocational training program, they both had internships. Sarah's internship was at Newsday, and Brett's internship was at Merrill Lynch. worked at her internship at Newsday in Melville, New York, for eight months. When she first started to work at Newsday, she worked in the tear-sheeting department. Her work consisted of tearing advertisements out of the paper. She said that the job was physically strenuous for her, and as a result, she didn't enjoy it. Sarah said that the people she worked with were "ignorant" of people with disabilities, and were afraid to be her friend, which made it a very uncomfortable working environment.

Eventually, Sarah was moved to a new section which she found to be much more rewarding. In her new location, called human resources, she did office work. Her office work included such things as photo copying, filing, answering phones and writing letters. She said that unlike the people at her old location, everyone here was sweet, kind, and understanding of her disability.

Brett also had a very interesting internship in the litigation department of Merrill Lynch. While interning, he learned about many things such as the complicated facets of the department. He also gathered information about the stock market, and the running of the business world. When asked how he felt about the internship, Brett said: "It was a great experience, and I learned a lot. That was one of the better things that the school did for me, and because of this great opportunity, I will continue to take advantage of it, and work there on breaks away from college."

Sarah is able to deal with the limitations and abilities that her disability presents to her very well. She says: "Up until I graduated from high school I always considered myself as normal. My family made me do chores like everyone else, and I argued with my sisters like everyone else." She continued to say: "I was hardly ever given special treatment." "I considered myself normal in my high school environment as well. I say this because out of the twenty-four students who were in my graduating class, I was one of three students who was able to walk without a walker or crutches." "I also thought that I had considerably fewer amounts of problems than the students who were in wheelchairs did. I thought I had fewer problems because of occupational therapy. In therapy I learned how to independently dress, groom, and take care of myself, while my disabled friends were learning how to do other simpler tasks. As a result of this, I thought that I was better off than everyone else, and it made me realize that I was very comfortable with my limitation throughout high school."

Since Sarah has entered college, her views of her abilities and limitations have slightly changed. She says that since she now lives by herself, she is integrated with "normal" people like never before. She says: "It is hard not to get frustrated because I can't do my hair the way that I want, or pack my bag as fast as everyone else." "Now I focus on what I can't do, instead of what I am able to do. Such things include zipping up my jacket, or putting my hair up in a ponytail." She also can't participant in all the sporting actives that she did in high school, now that she is in college. Such sporting events included adapted wheelchair hockey and basketball. (There were also other walkers that participated in the sports. That is how Sarah was able to participate).

However, now that she is in college, she is unable to participate in sports, and has to rely on someone else to take notes for her, which she never had to do before. "Not only do I have to excel at my school work, but I also have to educate people about living with a disability," Sarah explained.

"I can't really compare myself to my "normal" peers yet, because I am observing their capabilities," she went on saying, "It has been a little tough for me to deal with because I now realize that I can't do every little thing for Hopefully, I will adjust to my new environment, and continue to focus on my abilities, and ignore my limitations."

Sarah's family, occupational therapist, and her nurses at school are the reasons that she gives for her independence. Her family has always told her to do things on her own, and not rely on other people. They told her to be creative when trying to figure out how to do things for herself. Her therapist has worked with her for years, and has taught her how to independently dress and groom herself. Her nurse has been instrumental in her life has well. She has devised man made special adaptive equipment so that she can successfully and independently take care of her medical treatments.

Sarah says that her disability is "a gift that is sent from God" and she uses it to strengthen her character. Having a disability doesn't make her feel special or heroic, she says "my disability is something that is just part of me." However, it affects her life as a person because she encounters people who view her as "different" as a result of their close minded selfishness. Sarah says that she likes talking about her disability because it "will educate people about disabilities, and hopefully we will be looked at for who we are, and not what we are.

When asked about how she feels about being one of the first three students with a disability to ever dorm at Adelphi, she says that "it's about time Adelphi gets with the 90's and has some disabled students in residential life. In one way it is awesome that the three of us are here and living a "normal" life. In another way, it feels as though we are our own little clique, because we are so easily recognized and known." By us being at Adelphi, it makes a statement saying that we are just as intelligent, and as normal as other kids are."

Her advice for people who don't have a disability is to "really enjoy life and not to dwell on their appearance or on the appearance of others because in the end it really doesn't matter. Enjoy all aspects of life, and don't be picky. Accept the fact that life isn't always fair, and be thankful that you have what you have, because it can always be taken away from you." "Realize that disabled people are trying to achieve the same goals that you are trying to achieve, and try to be open towards them."

When asked about how he deals with his abilities and limitations, Brett said: "When there was something I couldn't do as a youngster, I always had my parents there to help me strive for my goal. However, now that I am an adult in college, I have to rely more on myself in order to reach for my goals and persevere." "My family has had a great impact on what I am able, and not able to do. They helped me to learn how to do things in different ways, if there was something I couldn't do. They've also taught me to never give up, and always stay focused, and not get frustrated when I am unable to do things." Brett feels that he's transition from high school to college, is just like everyone else's, except that he feels that he has to work at things a little bit harder as a result of his disability. Brett also says that he has no difficulty moving around the campus because of his disability.

He claims that God gave him a disability, so that other people can learn about disabled people. He said that, "We are just like other people, except it is harder for us to do the things that they are able to do. A disability makes you a much stronger person because of all the adversity that you have to overcome"

When he was asked how he felt about being one of the three disabled people at Adelphi, he said, "I don't have many strong feelings towards it because I consider myself an average student, with weaker legs."

Brett's advice for people without a disability is "to treat people with a disability as though they are like you. There is no difference between "disabled" and "normal" people." I also feel that non-disabled people should help disabled people feel more comfortable around them."

Joyce George said that the addition of three disabled students to the campus has given the disabled office a lot more attention. She said that before we arrived on campus, her focus was primarily on those students who have learning disabilities.

However, since we have arrived on campus, she has directed a good portion of her energy to see that the campus is accessible for us. (That is also one of the biggest reasons why we all chose to come to Adelphi) Joyce says, "Their feedback serves as an impetus for growth in sensitizing the campus to becoming more accessible."

The last person I asked how he felt about the three students at Adelphi was Sheldon Jones. Sheldon has been working at Viscardi for six years, and he is now my personal care attendant, here at Adelphi. He said of Sarah: "She is one of the sweetest, and kindness young ladies that you will ever get to meet and know. If you haven't had the chance to meet her, you are in for a treat. She is the perfect example of how anything can be done if you put your mind to it. She became salutatorian of the class, and it brought tears to my eyes. When I look at her, I smile, and think of what a wonderful job her parents have done of raising her."

"As for Brett, he is very unique. He always is straight forward, and always speaks his mind. He is a good person, with a good head on his shoulders, and I know he will make it a long way in life." "To conclude, they will make wonderful adults, and will always hold a special place in my heart."