Barb Rentenbach Assignment

I was unable to attend both lectures by Barb Rentenbach, though instead I watched videos "Here We Are World: A Conversation Among Friends" and "Autism Teacher Please Barb Rentenbach".  In "Here We Are World: A Conversation Among Friends", individuals who all suffer from autism, who also happen to be friends, use facilitated communication (FC) to communicate with each other.  The video really opened my eyes at how autism can effect an individual.  I have always known that autism is a serious disorder, and quite naively I never knew people suffering with autism could understand the world around them so well.  I was amazed at the in-depth conversations they had with each other by simply typing out their thoughts on a computer.  It was surprising to learn that they were all attending college studying subjects I would never have the courage to take.  This is yet another stereotypical view the world labels on people with disorders.  If it was not for technology individuals suffering with this disorder could never speak to the world, and we would never know what amazing thoughts and ideas were growing inside them. 

In "Autism Teacher Please Barb Rentenbach", Rentenbach is suffering from autism and is mute.  Since her disorder does not permit her to speak, she writes and uses facilitated communication to communicate with the world.  The video features writings from her book, "I Might Be You", read by Rentenbach's friends.  In Rentenbach's writings, she explains to teachers how to successfully teach and care for a student who is suffering from autism.  She explains some rituals that autism students perform are acts of comfort, and that they just need to be understood.  An example she gives is that she carried around nuts and bolts with her because it gave her a sense of comfort, and yes it was odd, but that's what felt right to her. She stresses that we are all equal, and that we all need to be viewed and understood the same way. 

After watching both videos my views on autism have certainly changed.  These individuals are just like any other student, they just can not voice their ideas verbally like most.  When I have students in my future classroom dealing with autism I will be more patient and willing to coordinate with their needs to make them feel as comfortable as possible.  At the beginning of the "Autism Teacher Please Barb Rentenbach" video, Rentenbach describes herself as someone most people may fear.  She says "I am digused as a poor thinker".  This is unquestionably true in our society.  If anyone looks, or acts differently they are automatically judged and labeled.  Rentenbach and the FC friends in "Here We Are World: A Conversation Among Friends" throw all of these stereotypical judgements out the door. I found myself wishing that I was as intelligent as them, and also so much more appreciative of my world.