“There are no guarantees in life, except that everyone faces struggles. This is how we learn (and grow). Some face struggles from the moment they are born. They are the most special of all people, requiring the most care and compassion and reminding us that love is the sole purpose of life.”– Elisabeth Kübler-Ross
These are our Hidden Angels – teaching all of us life’s most valuable lessons.
About the Trainers and Organizer:
Paul Pagliano PhD is Associate Professor in the School of Education at James Cook University, Townsville, Australia. He has a passionate interest in making multisensory stimulation more accessible to individuals with disabilities and has published widely on this topic including the books: Multisensory Environments and Using a Multisensory Environment (David Fulton Publishers, London). An internationally recognized public speaker Paul has delivered keynote papers and seminars throughout the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Spain, France, Netherlands, Germany, Norway, Finland, Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, Malaysia and Singapore, and with work translated into French, German, Finnish and Swedish. Currently Paul is on the editorial boards of the Journal of Intellectual and Developmental Disability, British Journal of Visual Impairment, Australasian Journal of Special Education, Australian Education Researcher and the Journal of the South Pacific Educators in Vision Impairment.
AD Verheul is considered by many as the “founding father” of multisensory environments (Snoezelen) and has worked with MSE in Europe for over 30 years. Ad conducts many seminars on MSE in countries around the world. Since the early 70’s Ad has designed, implemented and ran MSE at the Hartenberg Center and throughout Europe. In 1974 Ad Verheul and his colleague Jan Hulsegge introduced the idea of Snoezelen. When they started and invented this special activity for profoundly mentally handicapped people, it became a great success in a short time! We never thought that such a simple idea would wake worldwide interest.
Linda Messbauer graduated from New York University with a Master’s Degree in Occupational Therapy. She has extensive experience working in the field of Developmental Disabilities. Linda has worked in early childhood to adult services and has been a private consultant to both public service agencies and private corporations. She started her career in the field of Geriatrics some thirty years ago. In 1992, she established the first Multisensory Environment in the United States at Lifespire, Inc. in New York and, since that time, has participated in research on the efficacy of the MSE approach to recreation, therapy, and education. A great believer in lifelong learning, she is currently pursuing an advanced diploma in Applied Behavior Management through the New York Institute for Applied Behavioral Management, Long Island, N.Y. Linda is a pioneer, an international speaker and trainer on the subject of Multisensory Environments.
About the Sponsor:
The Hidden Angel Foundation is a non-profit 501(c)3 corporation whose mission is to enrich the lives, health, and social well-being of individuals with cognitive, emotional, and/or physical impairments through the design, development and support of programs centered on multisensory environments (MSE). Theories in MSE demonstrate new approaches to advance education, therapy, recreation and inclusion of special needs populations. HAF makes an immediate, positive impact on the lives of individuals with disabilities through its community partners that, in conjunction with HAF, are creating MSE in communities across the United States and Canada. HAF has awarded grants and MSE services to programs for individuals with disabilities throughout North America.
