Located at the Henry Viscardi School Center in Albertson, New York is a private school that was founded in 1962 by Dr. Henry Viscardi Jr. and the first of its kind as a place children with physical disabilities and rare illnesses could go to school, just like other children.  

The school offers parents of children with severe physical disabilities and who often require life-sustaining medical treatment throughout the day, a traditional education setting option that provides rigorous academics and opportunities for personal growth and leadership development. 

"This was just the beginning of our ongoing support for a great program that does an outstanding job for our community", said Bernard Tomlin, Old Westbury assistant athletic director and head men's basketball coach.

Most of the students at the Henry Viscardi School use power wheelchairs and augmentative communication technology, and some require constant medical supervision.  The student body of approximately 175 students with severe physical disabilities in grades pre-k through 12 (ages 3 to 21), many of whom are also medically fragile, has a wide variety of disabilities including Cerebral Palsy, Muscular Dystrophy, Multiple Sclerosis, Spina Bifida, Traumatic Brain Injury, Ontogenesis Imperfects and Spinal Muscular Atrophy. 

Click here for more information about the Henry Viscardi School.

The list of Old Westbury men's basketball members who attended the event included freshmen Mark Gjonlekaj and Stephon Odle as well as coach Tomlin.

For the latest news on the Panthers, log on to www.oldwestburypanthers.com – the official site of Old Westbury athletics. Also, become a follower of the Panthers on Twitter (OW_Panthers) and "LIKE" Us on Facebook (Old Westbury Panthers Athletics / Old Westbury Athletics Alumni).