After earning her Master's degree from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Pat began her career at SSA in 1982. She worked her way up through the ranks, proving her merit and qualifications at each level of her career until being competitively chosen to be the Manager of the Manitowoc office in October 2004.
Reaching this level in her career is particularly noteworthy, and even remarkable, because Pat has a vision impairment which has left her blind since childhood. Her story is a triumphant testimonial to the valuable contributions that members of the "disabled" community can deliver to our society when they are afforded the tools and opportunity to do so.
Pat has developed into a "power user" of the assistive technologies which provide impaired persons with equal access to employment opportunities. Recognizing the value this has had for her, she has been extremely proactive in volunteering to train and counsel other visually impaired persons in the use of these technologies. Pat has frequently traveled throughout the Midwest as a member of the Chicago Region Employees with Disabilities Training Cadre, whose mission is to provide support for employees who require the use of screen reading software while performing their job duties.
Pat does not perceive her limited sight as an insurmountable barrier, choosing instead to treat it as an inconvenient obstacle that she is eagerly confident of overcoming. As a result, Pat is, and always has been, a ground-breaking pioneer in opening up the workplace to persons with disabilities, for whom she has served as both an example and an inspiration.
Source: In the SSA Family, March 2006 edition
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