Barb

We so often (wrongly) believe that people with autism are somehow incapable of communicating with or understanding us that it can be difficult to attach wit and wisdom to the diagnosis.  Barb's presentation proved that not only do people with autism poses the capacity for both, but also the ability to reach each and everyone of us in a very meaningful way.

Many of my colleagues have spoken at length about Barb's inspiring life and story, and while I am also moved by her accomplishments, I am equally fascinated by the discussion of the implications autism has on the human race.  Last summer, I discovered a TED video by Juan Enriquez in which he proposes the theory that humans are currently undergoing an evolutionary change; one of the avenues for this change could be autism.  When viewed not as a disability, but as a new, hyper-active and hyper-sensitive response of the brain to the plethora of information and data available to us today, one begins to view autism in a brand new light.

Barb's "smiling shrink" discussed how advances in civilization were almost surely made by people with ADHD and/or autism.  It is easy to see the possibility of these "disabilities" as being responsible for moving society forward--without people who are willing to consciously think against the grain, norms go unchallenged and unchanged.  Enriquez goes one step further and suggests that humans will become the first species in history to not only undergo evolutionary change, but be in complete control of the method and outcome of that transition.  We have the technology to bend, break, manipulate, transmute, and clone nearly anything into nearly anything else; it is only a matter of time before a game-changer turns that technology on him or herself.

I thoroughly enjoyed Barb's presentation and the intellectual workout it gave me.  Her bringing up the idea of autism being simply a different type of neurology, not a disability, has inspired me to do more research into the possibilities of autism and how to best reach those students in my classroom.

 - B

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TED profile of Juan Enriquez:
http://www.ted.com/speakers/juan_enriquez.html

"Will Our Kids Be a Different Species?" TED Talk:
http://www.ted.com/talks/juan_enriquez_will_our_kids_be_a_different_species.html

Barb

I unfortunately was unable to see Barb in person but after watching the video online I was very moved. As a verbal communicator, I spent much of Barb's presentation thinking about how differently my life would be if I could not talk to communicate my thoughts or feelings. Barb is absolutely incredible and her large vocabulary is mind-blowing. As a teacher, it is important to consider Barb's struggles that my future students may relate to. Perhaps, my future students may be capable of learning but show difficulty in providing evidence of their knowledge. I need to consider alternative assessments to allow these students to demonstrate their knowledge like Barb eventually discovered. I did further research on Barb after watching the presentation. Her comments about friendship were touching. I believe that relationships are important to being a human being and it made me sad to think of Barb living much of her life lacking such connections. Communication is necessary to maintain relationships so it is a blessing that Barb is now able to communicate through written expression. My preconceived notions about Autism were disarray. I have researched Autism in SPED 402 and presented my findings of stereotypical autistic behavior and symptoms of autistic individuals. However, Barb changed the beliefs I used to have about autism in general.

Barb

I went to the first of Barb's presentations and even though it has been nearly two months since I saw her, what was said there that night has stayed with me. When I look back there are several things that have stuck with me.

The first among them is Barb's sense of humor, which relies heavily upon sarcasm. I loved it! To me humor is one of most normalizing elements of our existence. When she laughed, or more often made us laugh, she did not have autism. We often think that people with autism, or any other neurological disorder are incapable of adjusting to what is "normal". This proved that wrong. For it is "normal" people who have the problem.

The second thing that was really interesting was the fluency that she exhibited in her writing. Before the audience was a woman who is learning to talk, and yet when you read her work there is a level of intellect and emotion that is absent from a lot of work by "normal" individuals. Even when she was answering questions during the Q&A portion of the presentation, with little time to edit and refine her language, she was still remarkably concise in her language.

The last thing that really shocked me was the sheer force of her will. Although she said that she enjoyed giving presentations, it was clear that she was definitely out of her comfort zone. And yet, there she was proving everyone in attendance that she could it. I think even she was admit that she would have rather been doing something else, but there was a point to be made, and minds that needed changing. She was very aware that many of us in attendance were going to be future teacher and I think she changed everyone's perception of the person with "autism". She sure changed mine.

Barb

Like many others, I have little experience with or knowledge about autism.  Going to this presentation, put on by Barb and her "Smiling Shrink," has helped me better understand and appreciate autism and the people that struggle with it and other disabilities..  Going into the presentation I did not really know what to expect.  Before I watched the videos I expected the presentation would include Barb getting up and talking about autism and advocating for people affected by autism.  I was picturing a Temple Grandin type character.  After watching the videos I knew that the presentation would be a little different since Barb could not speak on her own.  I thought maybe the whole presentation would be done by her typing out responses that a computer would read.

The presentation was much different than I expected.  Although Barb was able to type out her thoughts and communicate, it takes her quite a bit of time to do so.  She gets her thoughts across well and has a great sense of humor in her responses.  I was honestly surprised at how comfortable she seems around people.  I was also very surprised by the little language that she does use.  I expected her to not be able to produce any sound, when in reality she just has no control of her voice.  Reading and hearing her writing makes it clear that she is a very bright individual that has a lot to share with the world.  She has a very positive outlook, despite her disability, that is very inspiring.

After the presentation I did what I always do when I want to find out more about someone: I googled Barb Rentenbach.  I found her website and blog and read more about her.  Along with this, and the job posting that Elizabeth sent us, I learned that she is a very active lady that loves to be social.  She lives in her own house and has many of the same wants and needs as everybody else.  She seems very happy with where she is in life, and wants to share her life with others.  I really appreciate her being so open in sharing her story and building activism for people living with autism.  They are important in this world.  They have their ways of bettering others and the world around them.

As I go away from this experience I hope to always remember the things that I learned from Barb.  People living with disabilities are people too, and have many of the same wants, needs, and fears as the rest of the world.  Although they may appear to be incapable of doing anything, many of them are very intelligent and can change the world if they are given the chance.  As I start my career as a teacher I want to always remember that all of my students have something to add to the classroom.  They can all learn and can all make a difference in the world.  They may need a little help getting there, and will have to find their own positive way to do it, but they can make a difference.

Barb

When I arrived at the presentation thinking that I knew what to expect. I had watched the videos ahead of time, and I had worked with students with autism before on many occasions. I brought my boyfriend with me, but I didn't really think to explain to him what autism was before we showed up. I really should have put more effort into explaining to my guest what the presentation was going to be about, and what to expect during the presentation. However, I am almost glad I didn't. The presentation was that more intense for him because he wasn't prepared for it. Barb didn't act "normally." She rocked back and forth, and sometimes squeaked out noises and cuss words. If I didn't know Barb, and just saw her in on the street or in a restaurant, I would not guess that she is capable of communicating so artfully, effectively, and with such a big vocabulary. I suppose this reveals my unconscious prejudices - I should never assume anyone isn't capable of something, especially as a teacher. It should be up to the individual to determine what he or she is are capable of, and to themselves as individuals.

Barb seemed to get really uncomfortable and make more vocalizations when students did a less than perfect job of reading her writing (a few students mispronounced words or names, and a few stumbled over the unique syntax). It must be hard to have written a work of art with a unique voice and have someone else butcher it (or not read it with the same emphasis, intensity, and tone with which you intended it to be read). I wonder how Barb would have wanted her work to be read - even as her voice comes through powerfully in her writing, she has to rely on others to "read" her work and interpret it. Barb must share this with other poets and writers whose work has been performed by other people.

I was really interested in the story about the student with Autism who was really good at DDR. The psychologist reached him by doing something that she was really uncomfortable with and not very good at (dancing DDR in the mall). Many of the things that we ask students with Autism to do are difficult for them, and we don't think about how the academic tasks that we expect students to do can be extremely difficult and uncomfortable. This story also reminded me of the many ways that people and students can be intelligent. We should not assume that students aren't "smart" because their brains aren't wired in the "average" way. I agree with Barb that respecting not only racial and cultural but also neural diversity is really important. It also reminded me how important it is to develop good relationships with students.

Barb

What an incredible experience it was to learn about Barb, her experience, and amazing, insightful, intelligent perspective.  I'm so thankful for the opportunity and look forward to gaining more insight from her book, I Might Be You.  There were so many things that I took away...
I have many friends with children diagnosed as being mildly autistic.  Sadly, I don't think I ever really considered their future lives as adults partly because I don't know any adults with autism.  Becoming aware and leaning from Barb, gave me a different perspective.  For the children I know and the ones who may be in my classroom, how will their experiences, the expectations or lack there of that society places on them shape them as they grow into adulthood?  How will I, as a teacher, influence that?  As Barb stated, "Autism is my prism, not my prison."  How can I help to shape that same mentality in my students by understanding their structural and functional difference, not focusing on their challenges?  I liked the analogy that there is "no standard flower, no standard culture, no standard brain."  As Barb suggests, "We are all flecks of God, all diverse and all important in this world."

I believe as teachers we need to become more introspective of our teaching, our purpose, and our influence just as Barb has become through her typing.  It's a process but something that is highly important in understanding our role and how that effects our students.  Through this introspection, we can become more aware of our actions, particularly with how we approach students with disabilities or "neuro-diversities."  As Lisa, Barb's smiling shrink suggested, "Meet students where they are, build on their strengths, be comfortable with other forms of communication," and I think, of most importance, "be patient."  I LOVED the quote, "Everything is within walking distance, if you have the time."... How true!  And praise those who took the time to walk the distance with Barb.

And that brings me to my final take away related to time.  I truly admire Barb and her ability to find peace, purpose, live a happy life and give back.  I can't help but reflect on this week and the mad rush with time and obligations (many of which are self-induced).  I realize I'm often one of those "chain saw juggling normal" and all I can think of is "Martha, Martha, Martha... ", how much do I miss out on in this rat race and how jealous am I of the contemplative ability/ gift of Barb/Mary.

Therefore, in closing, through Barb and this semesters experience, as I approach my internship year, I'll become more mindful, introspective, contemplative in my purpose as a future teacher.  I liked the quote from Dolly Parton that said, "Find out who you are and be that on purpose."  In doing so, it will only better me as a teacher and allow me to encourage that in my students, as well.

Barb

Before attending the Barb Rentenbach presentation, I held a somewhat narrow idea about autism, and although I have a close friend whose child has autism, I had never had the opportunity to note the differences in severity from personal experience. Barb is inspiring in that she has been able to rise above the views of others regarding her abilities and has proven that she is more than her autism. Having the type of disability such as Barb's that interferes with a person's ability to communicate must be more frustrating than most of us can possibly imagine, but Barb has put an enormous amount of time and effort into building alternative means of communicating with others. 

As someone who has studied literature for years in college, her writing is comparable with all of the writers that I have been exposed to, and I am excited about the prospect of having time to read her book as soon as classes are over for the semester. From the excerpts that we heard in the presentation, Barb has a type of descriptive language that is unlike anything that I have read in the past due to her ability to view the world differently through her "prism" of autism. This connects to one of my favorite parts of the lecture in which Lois discusses the idea of neurodiversity and how our differences in the way that we perceive the world should be seen as an advantage, not a weakness. When we think about disabilities, we often consider the negative aspects, or the things that a person is unable to do, rather than considering how a disability can create a strength for an individual. Lois and Barb are both able to look beyond that and have instead chosen to view Barb's autism as a powerful force within her that enhances her gift of writing and her creative energy. 

The most important thing that I am taking from yesterday's presentation is the mindset that despite our differences, we all bring our own unique abilities to the world, and like Barb, all of us have something to contribute. I think as future teachers, this is a perspective that should be ingrained in all of us, as we will encounter diversity in our students every day that we are in the classroom. We should learn not acceptance, but gain the ability to welcome these differences in our students and to consider how each of them can enrich the learning experience for everyone. 

Barb

Before attending today's field trip, I watched the videos to get an idea of what to expect. The videos however, did not do Barb justice. Being there in person today to experience it all was really eye opening. It took her nearly five minutes to type the statement, "Autism is my prism, not my prison." Combined, the effort it took to write the sentence and the message itself were a powerful way to begin the presentation. Barb's SS talked through the entire presentation, but that did not take away from the message. Autism is such a misunderstood neurological disorder, but today's presentation gave the audience such perspective. Barb is an inspiration because like the quote she said in the beginning, she doesn't see Autism as necessarily a bad thing. To her, all of the people in the world are over-stimulated. There is a weird fascination with being too busy to do one thing at a time; multitasking is the only option. Barb said that Autism is evolutions response to our current world. With Autism, Barb is able to pay attention to the dew on a blade of grass or the prisms of light in a drop of condensation. Instead of converse fervently with everyone around her, Barb takes in what she sees and hears and puts it into text. It took Barb ten years to complete her book, but it was a goal that she set and one that she met. It was so mind-blowing to me that someone so socially inept could say such intriguing, insightful, and true things on paper. She in her own way is a genius, despite her ability to act like everyone around her. She enjoys company and she has friends like most people, but her life is in a way more rich because she is able to take the time to listen and reflect, when most of us have a million things going on a once. I think what I took away from today was it is so wrong to just write off someone with Autism. Yes, from the outside those with the disorder don't look or act the same, but they have feelings and they're brilliant people. They feel like we do. They desire every basic need that we do and I don't want to forget that.

Barb

I would like to start off my response by saying I have found a new idol. Barb Rentenbach is one of the most intelligent people I've ever met. Prior to the presentation, I watched both videos. I also visited Barb's website for Mule and Muse Productions. I read some of her material, but not all of it. I came into the presentation not knowing exactly what to expect. I wasn't sure if it would be purely Barb or Barb with a panel of others with verbal difficulty. During the videos I watched the night before, I could tell that Barb was a very smart woman that had many thoughts and feelings. I also noted in the videos how much the commentators with verbal difficulty had to say. They were all very funny. When the presentation began and Barb began typing, I was expecting her to type "Autism is my prison." When she changed her sentence on me, I was surprised. She seemed, not to embrace, but at least learn to live comfortably with her disability. I wondered if she had always been at peace with her disability, or if took many years, if not decades to come to the place she is now in life. I have worked with many students with disabilities; many that I know comprehend the receptive language, but cannot respond or express much. So this was not a new phenomenon to me.  I personally feel that many people diagnosed with a disability are automatically treated differently because they cannot verbalize themselves. However, I have a feeling there are a lot more people that have feelings and thoughts like Barb, but are still trapped (or as Barb says their voices are still in the "shop.") During the presentation, I kept racking my brain for a question. I have this brilliant woman sitting in front of us, and I felt intimidated a little; not because of her disability by any means, but because she was smarter than almost the entire audience. This may be jumping to conclusions, but she has had her whole life to do what she says she does best "think." She has had her lifetime to contemplate, while us "normals" are always on the go. We are always doing or acting or speaking. We never shut up and watch, listen, relax. I think that was one of her most important lessons to me. How different would I be if for at least fifteen minutes a day, I just contemplated? Not necessarily about academics or work, about life. Her words were very carefully chosen, but they always had strong meaning. After the presentation, I had the pleasure of meeting Barb. There was no denying she could understand everything around her, even if she wanted to have lunch instead. 

Field Trip

A quote by Dolly Parton was said during the presentation; “Find out who you are and be that on purpose.” I think this is what Barb has done with her life. The presentation was a very power representation of the benefits of inclusion. In the last ten years Barb has made leaps in communication skill with the help of technology, she has made many friends and written a book. The question I asked myself way did it take till she was 30 for her to make these strides. Barb was considered mentally retarded till she was 19. It wasn’t until she started working with her “Smiling Shrink” did she began to break these communication barriers.

A portion of the book was read by her SS that described how people should approach people with autism. Give them opportunities to discover, always persevere, remember we are all the same, keep an open mind, empower them, and give chill time. Barb says people with autism have an amazing ability to focus on one life concept at a time and teachers should allow this to happen. As a general educator I want every student to be successful this is a great way to implement a successful inclusive classroom. I love the ways Barb never says we anything silly like “we aren’t that different” but instated emphasizes that are differences are a beautiful thing. Diversity allows for different perspectives and as teacher we need to find what works for our students, maybe, by using some of Barb’s advice so that people do have to wait till they are 30 to be heard.

Barb

Prior to going to Barb’s presentation, I watched Barb’s video on YouTube. I thought she offered some very useful tips for teachers (students with Autism need companionship too) and some of them are what we read and discussed about in special education. I was also very impressive with how well-read Barb is in areas of history, religion, and philosophy.

During Barb’s presentation, we were shown another video in which Barb’s friends took turns reading her writings. Barb writes about how she had begun to make friends in her mid-30s after careful evaluation of her friends’ intentions. I was really moved by how sincere Barb is and how much she values friendship. Barb also notes the difference between being friendly and beings friends. This is true as people often befriend people they can relate to and are similar to. When someone is different than they are and they cannot easily understand, people tend to stay distant and friendly. That friendliness, unfortunately, then becomes the barrier. Barb also talks about distinguishing pity from true friendship. I know from experience how undesirable being pitied can be and I often just build up the barrier of friendliness myself whenever I feel someone is being nice to me because of pity. I think these are all good things to keep in mind when working with all kinds of people—not just students with Autism.

After Barb’s presentation, I went online and read more of Barb’s writings on her web site. I stumbled across the piece “Autistic Sex: For a Terrible Time, Call”. I found myself to be really enjoying Barb’s sense of humor, her writing style, and how bold and sincere she is as a writer. As humans, we all have our primal needs. But most of the time, our society favors denial and suppression when it comes to sex even though we all know it’s a legitimate concern for everyone. I thought it was really bold and refreshing that Barb wrote about this. I can never be that bold, but I thought the least I could do is share how much I loved Barb’s writing.

Barb Rentenbach

I wasn't quite sure what to expect at this presentation by Barb Rentenbach.  However, I thought it was very interesting and it really opened my eyes and gave me a new perspective about people with autism--and students in general.  Barb (and her assistant) brought up the fact that there is no gold standard brain.  In today's world of standardized testing it seems like policy makers believe their is a gold standard brain--and standardized testing determines this status.  In my opinion, Barb really epitomized the statement of "no gold standard brain."  Barb was brilliant and she was funny too, but in her book and the video of her readings she claimed that people look at her and think she is limited, while she is limited physically she is really brilliant, yet people judge her by her appearance: this is a huge dis-service to people with autism and students in general.  No ones potential should be based on their appearance or their past performances.
One thing I thought was really interesting about the presentation was when Barbs assistant claimed that the best treatment is connection.  I think this can be applied to every student--it is essential to make connections with students of every type so they can learn from educational experiences.
I think the saying "we learn from those we serve" perfectly describes Barb's situation and my educational experiences--it is important that teachers are constantly learning, and what better way to learn than from your students?  I feel like I gained much knowledge from this presentation and I thought it was really inspiring that Barb could do such amazing things despite her autism.
Finally, another thing I will take away from this presentation is something that Barb's assistant said when she was referring to students and people with autism, that is we are asking them to do things that are easy for us--it is frustrating to try to do things that seem to come easily for others; this is often the case with education too.  I think that when dealing with people in general, but especially students in the classroom (whether it be general education or the special education classroom) that we, as teachers, should remember that all students learn differently and that we must take this into consideration daily--we are not teaching a class, we are teaching individuals who vary in many ways. 
I will certainly take away a lot from this experience, as I have stated above.  I think this relates to our class in many ways, but mostly I think it relates to thinking and differentiation.  Teachers must constantly be critically thinking about how to make classroom instruction work for each and every student.  This brings in differentiation--all students learn differently and in order for teachers to make learning effective and meaningful they must differentiate instruction based on their students needs and learning abilities.  Overall, I felt really empowered and inspired by Barb and her presentation.

Instructions for Barb response

Someone asked for more detailed instructions for your response to Barb Rentenbach's presentation:

My expectations are that you will respond carefully and critically to what you experienced in the presentation. Describing your thoughts and feelings before, during, and after the presentation as well as posing questions and wonderings are responses. Don't be afraid to be honest--all feedback is valid. Also, where you can, make connections to the principles we have been studying in our course. Please respond to at least two others' thoughts.