Hicksville resident Paul Sauerland, an advocate for the visually impaired and disabled, passed away on March 26, 2008. Mr. Sauerland, who moved in Hicksville in October 1963, was 88 years old.

By the age of two, Mr. Sauerland was totally blind due to congenital glaucoma, but his lack of sight never prevented him from living a life of service. He attended elementary and high school at the New York Institute for Special Education, graduating second in his class in 1938 before going on to earn a business degree with honors from the New Jersey-based Rutgers School of Business in 1942. Mr. Sauerland also attended Fordham University's School of Social Services where he graduated Magna Cum Laude in 1959.

In 1949, Mr. Sauerland was appointed to the New Jersey Commissioner for the Blind's Board of Managers and, in 1954, wrote a Mission Statement for Catholic Charities of New York that addressed the special role that the parish communities of the Archdiocese of New York could play in responding to the social and spiritual needs of the blind and visually impaired. Nine years later, in 1963, Mr. Sauerland joined the staff of Catholic Charities, Diocese of Rockville Centre, where he worked for 37 years as a legislative consultant, a social worker and administrator in the Office for the Blind and Visually Impaired.

Mr. Sauerland's expertise was recognized on both the local and state level. He served as chairman of the Nassau County Transportation Citizens Advisory Committee for people with disabilities; was a member of the New York State Rehabilitation Association (NYSARP) and the Association for Education and Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired (AER); and served on both the New York Catholic Conference Advisory Committee for Persons with Disabilities and the Catholic Charities Diocese of Brooklyn Legal Committee. In addition, Mr. Sauerland served as president of the Long Island Council of the Blind, an affiliate of the American Council of the Blind, and was on the board of the Xavier Society for the Blind.

Nationally, Mr. Sauerland made an impact as well. In 1978, he participated in the writing of the US Catholic Bishop's Pastorial Statement of People with Disabilities and, in 1982, he joined the board of directors of the National Catholic Partnership for Persons with Disabilities (NCPD). Mr. Sauerland served as secretary of the Catholic Association of Persons with Visual Impairment (CAPVI) and was their representative to the board of the NCPD. It was through his work on NCPD's Legislative Committee that the committee made a major contribution to the legislative effort culminating with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Throughout his life, Mr. Sauerland was honored for his services for the disabled as the recipient of many local, state and national awards and accolades

Mr. Sauerland is survived by his wife, Mary; his six children, Christopher, Francis, John, Carmel, Therese and Paul David; and eight grandchildren.