Museum of Disability History at The Viscardi Center

JSA/MIXdesign led the exhibition design for the Museum of Disability History at The Viscardi Center, working in close collaboration with curators Ignacio Galán and Jordan Whitewood-Neal to translate their curatorial vision into a spatial experience. The exhibition brings together a wide range of multimedia artifacts—including archival film, historic photographs, books, artwork, and personal effects—around a central premise: disability history in the United States is not singular or chronological, but composed of many intersecting stories.

Visitors move through fourteen thematic “portals” that frame both historic and contemporary artifacts. The portals are organized along a continuous blue band, painted in Viscardi’s signature blue, that wraps the perimeter of the gallery and defines a central island featuring a highlight of the collection: the Invacar, a single-seat micro vehicle designed for disabled drivers.

We invited Viscardi stakeholders, board members, and students—past and present—to participate in workshops where they engaged with full-scale mock-ups and provided candid feedback. Their insights helped us rethink conventional museum norms and make accessibility foundational rather than an afterthought. Artworks are mounted at a lowered datum of 48 inches (rather than the typical 60) to improve sightlines for seated wheelchair users, children, and little people. Angled shelving presents tactile materials for hands-on engagement, while large-text labels and voice-narrated Bloomberg Connects content provide additional interpretive access.

Client	The Viscardi Center
Location	Albertson, NY
Year	2026
AOR	Allied Works
Curators	Ignacio G. Galan, Jordan Whitewood-Neal
Graphic Designer	MTWTF
Photos	Positive Exposure