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Patty Obrzut: Hello. My name is Patty Obrzut. I'm the Assistant Director of Penrickton Center for Blind Children, a private, non-profit residential and daycare center for children who are legally blind with at least one additional disability. The children I work with have Cerebral Palsy, Epilepsy, cognitive impairments, and Autism. At Penrickton Center, our goal is to promote independence in children with special needs. 

I'm here to introduce to you the concepts of Active Learning. How did I learn about Active Learning? I was first hired at Penrickton Center in 1987 as the Occupational Therapist. In 1992, I attended a conference given by Dr. Nielsen, and I came away with a simple understanding of Active Learning. During the following years, my education has grown. I have attended over ten conferences given by Dr. Nielsen, and developed a personal relationship with her.

Immediately after implementing Active Learning techniques at Penrickton Center, we saw changes in the independent activity of our children. Penrickton Center invited Dr. Nielsen to provide training for our staff, and over the course of many years, I gained a greater and greater understanding of Active Learning techniques. Dr. Nielsen invited me and a coworker to visit her in Denmark. We spent several weeks with her, being welcomed into her home, visited agencies and schools that she had worked for, and we observed Active Learning techniques in action. Finally, in 2002, Dr. Nielson granted me permission to lecture on techniques of Active Learning. I am one of only a few individuals that was given this privilege, based on my knowledge and experience.

I care deeply about children with special needs, and want to ensure that they have an enriched environment to learn from. I would like to invite you to come along with me on this journey, as I explain to you the techniques of Active Learning, and show you how you can make a difference in the lives of multiply disabled children.