I do not choose to be a common man. It is my right to be uncommon-if I can.
That is the credo of Abilities, Inc.. the fabulous Long Island concern run entirely by severely disabled workers. But the workers themselves are more than uncommon. They are incredible. They are people like these:
. . Jim Wadsworth. He had a knack for inventing things.
Unable to sit and work, he swung from his bench at a 45'
angle in a sling he devised from a window cleaner's belt.
. . Esther Caldwell. Trapped in the sightless, soundless
prison of her own body, she refused to surrender hope.
. . Murray Nemser. He works flat on his back. On a litter.
. . Lou Blersch. A legless ex-paratrooper, he fought his
big battle when he got out of the army.
. . Ellen Vaughn. Paralyzed, confined to a wheelchair,
she worried a lot-about other people.
. . Alex Alazraki. Lacking both arms and legs, he outworks
everyone in his crew.
. . Emmett Hood. He talks through a hole in his throat.
He wasn't supposed to live-but he did.
. . And, of course, Henry Viscardi himself, founder of
Human Resources Center, Human Resources School and
Abilities Inc.-the most uncommon of them all. This book
tells the improbable story of the miracle in American industry
set in motion by his imagination and ingenuity.
Abilities began in a grimy, unfurnished garage with four
employees who had only five good arms and one good leg
among them. In five years it was a pioneering work demonstration,
employing 300 disabled people. More than 5000 disabled
people have since been employed by Abilities Inc. It
has become an international model of how disabled people
can live and work independently in a competitive employment
setting.
