Patrick P. Muller This is Me

Education

 View all 6 references Web References

1. 1. TRI Staff

   www.taconicresources.net/staff - [Cached]

   Published on: 12/15/2007   Last Visited: 12/15/2007

   Patrick P. Muller, MSW, Program Director

2. 2. PoughkeepsieJournal.com - Willing & able

   www.poughkeepsiejournal.com/to - [Cached]

   Published on: 10/3/2004   Last Visited: 10/3/2004

   Above, Patrick Muller, a mobile benefits counselor at Taconic Resources for Independence, gathers materials prior to giving a recent seminar. Below, Muller, who has cerebral palsy, says confidence is the first barrier people with disabilities must overcome.
   
   Click to enlarge
   
   There are a lot of stereotypes about people with disabilities. Patrick Muller's example helps break down two of them.
   
   First, at a glance, he doesn't look like he has a disability, because there's no wheelchair, cane or other devices. But he's had cerebral palsy since birth, which affects speech and motor abilities.
   
   Second, he holds down a full-time job -- 14 years with his present employer.
   
   He works for Taconic Resources for Independence, counseling people on how government benefits are affected when they return to work.
   ...
   1 is confidence," Muller said. After that comes the challenge of perseverance. Those are the internal steps to take, the ones that are up to the individual.
   
   "It's a journey," Muller said last week at the agency's office in the City of Poughkeepsie.
   ...
   And attitude, Muller said.
   
   Prejudice still lingers
   
   Attitudinal barriers on the part of people who do not have disabilities remain an issue, Muller said. "And those barriers, you cannot write a guideline for," he added.
   ...
   Muller demonstrated a software program called ReadPlease Plus. He took a piece of text from a Web site, dropped it into the program and listened to an artificial voice read it aloud.
   
   Another noteworthy invention is a head-tracking helmet that allows a person with no use of arms or legs to move a computer cursor by nodding the head.
   
   "Technology has increased every year," Muller said.
   
   Inventions that originally were to help people get around their disabilities have sometimes gone into the mainstream later, he noted.
   ...
   Muller said a teamwork approach works best in the workplace.
   
   "Someone with a disability will know what accommodation is best for them," he said.

3. 3. PoughkeepsieJournal.com - Only Tivoli meets all voting standards for disabled

   www.poughkeepsiejournal.com/to - [Cached]

   Published on: 11/9/2004   Last Visited: 11/9/2004

   "A lot of times, we found problems with the striping or signage in the parking lots," Taconic staff member Patrick Muller said.