Barb Rentenbach

     If I could describe Barb Rentenbach's lecture in one word, I would choose inspiring. I just think she is an amazing person and has the best outlook on life. She made me want to be a better person and reminded me how important it is for us to enjoy our lives. I almost envy her outlook because she enjoys everything she does to the fullest. She eats long lunches, goes for swims, journals, and really reflects on what is going through her mind. I on the other hand, I obsess over minute details and always feel stressed. I feel like the world is going to end if I do not get everything done, and she opened my eyes to what it truly means to "pause and take a breath." I don't take enough time to "smell the roses," and this is something I would like to work on. Therefore, I plan on following her advice.
   
     1) Discover-- figure out who you are as a person and do it on purpose
     2) Persevere-- don't ever give up
     3) Remember-- everyone is the same; we are all human beings
     4) Understand-- take time to reflect on your situations and give others time to gather their thoughts
     5) Open-- have an open mind about all people as well as all situations
     6) Empower-- give people the chance to succeed and celebrate people's differences

     Finally, I loved the part where Barb and her "SS" (smiling shrink) talk about how people with disabilities are capable of great things. For example, Bill Gates, creator of Apple, and Mark Zuckerberg, creator of Facebook, are Autistic. In addition, they are two of the most successful people in American, which goes to show you that people with Autism are capable of accomplishing great things. The one thing that really opened my eyes was when she talked about taking their creativity (disorder) away. What would happen if we tried to fix people like Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg? Would they have been able to come up with their creations? This is just something to think about, and I believe it is so important for people to embrace Autism. Therefore, I want to end this blog with two quote from Barb Rentenbach. She wrote this saying on the computer screen at the beginning of the lesson, and this is something I will never forget.

     "Dear UTK Autism is my prism not my prison!"

     "Autism needs the world, and the world needs Autism!"