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In the early 1960's, Nassau County, New York, became the first in the country to take official action on the county level to provide multi-faceted aid to its 160,000 handicapped residents. Spearheading the action was County Executive Eugene H. Nickerson. Mr. Nickerson brought to the task, not only executive talents sufficient to earn him the reputation as one of the ablest municipal executives in the country, but also a first-hand knowledge of the problem gained through his experience with a bout of polio at the age of 17. He began his campaign by appointing a 25 member Committee on the Handicapped to advise his administration on the needs of the handicapped in Nassau County. Three years later, the Committee filed its report, and, since then, Mr. Nickerson has made every effort to make its many recommendations realities.

One of the major problems that the committee reported was the existence of architectural barriers in public and private facilities. As a result, Mr. Nickerson had ramps, rails, and other facilities constructed to give the handicapped access to all county buildings. He also specified that all new county construction be similarly equipped. Thus, on the first floor of the new County Executive Building, the ladies' room has an extra wide booth for access by wheelchair, shower curtains instead of doors, and special hand rails. Similarly, the Division of Parks and Recreation was urged to install ramps leading from parking lots and to make adjustments in its rest rooms. Also, at the suggestion of the committee, a survey of all polling places was taken, and all those found inaccessible to handicapped voters were relocated. Mr. Nickerson and the committee went on to exert considerable influence on villages, towns, school districts, and private concerns within the county to remove their architectural barriers. Thus public buildings, museums, libraries, and other facilities have been opened to wheelchair patrons.

In order to insure that the handicapped will continue to be considered in the design of new buildings and that existing doors will continue to be opened, Mr. Nickerson created the office of Coordinator for the Handicapped in the Nassau County Department of Labor. This office is now held by Hubert Finneran, Jr., whose own confinement to a wheelchair from multiple sclerosis gives him a special understanding of the problems he seeks to solve. Mr. Finnerman serves as a clearing house for complaints made by handicapped persons regarding architectural barriers. In addition, he is in the process of preparing a "Guide Booklet" which will inform the handicapped of the services available to them by describing curbs, ramps, rails, and lavatory facilities in public buildings, restaurants, churches, synagogues, theaters, banks, and department stores. The "Kiwanis International" is aiding in this project by gathering information from the twenty-two selected communities.

Another major problem encountered by the committee was the lack of jobs and job training for the handicapped. Thus, in 1967 Mr. Nickerson, in cooperation with the Federal Government, set up the Nassau County Employment Program for the Employment of the Handicapped. Through this program, the first of its kind in the nation, the county contracts with employers to give on the job training to handicapped persons. Training may vary from 4 to 26 weeks, depending on the nature of the work. At the end of the training period, the county, using federal funds, reimburses the employer for the expense of the training. (Every attempt is made to find employers who are willing and able to absorb the cost of training themselves.) The County also seeks out handicapped eligible for the program, working through such agencies as the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation, Cerebral Palsy Center, and the Epilepsy Association. In addition, the county provides supportive services such as transportation and location of housing and stays in contact with the employer and employee in order to insure a good adjustment. They are concerned with making every placement a success so that more and more employers will be willing to hire handicapped people.

Mr. Nickerson views handicapped persons as challenge to employers to accept the applicant for his ability, not his disabilities."

In addition to the above programs, Mr. Nickerson and his committee made a number of other proposals which they would like to see implemented. Among these are:

free higher education for any handicapped student accepted by an accredited college,

federal and state aid to provide pre-school education and increased psychological services to handicapped children,

greater "integration" of handicapped children in the public schools,

employment of more handicapped teachers.

It is evident that Mr. Nickerson's commitment to the problems of the handicapped is a deep and far reaching one. His work has gained national recognition, and it is hoped that it will serve as a model to other counties. As Mr. Finnerman has said, "If all government officials were as conscious of the problems of the handicapped as Mr. Nickerson, life would be more pleasant for everyone confined to a wheelchair."