Barb Rentenbach Videos

Watching the Barb Rentenbach movie was very eye-opening. The intelligence portrayed through her words was just amazing. Everything was so deep and thoughtful, being a “flake of God,” referencing her disability and accepting that. The very beginning of the video is a little depressing when she discussed how she looks and what people think about her. However, it is also inspiring because even though she can understand that some people may see her that way, she is doing her part to make a difference. I do feel like she has a little bottled-up hatred. Every time she gave an example, like carrying around objects or not wanting to be sheltered from the anxieties of school, she would say “whatever” and “so be it” as well as a lot of “move on.” I felt like she was had maybe been told to basically get over it and move on, probably more than she should have been or wanted to be.

The section about Abraham Lincoln was a great reference point for her story that takes her disability and transforms it into an historical acceptance of God, comparing it to when Lincoln’s youngest son died from Typhoid Fever and Lincoln began believing in a god. This also brought in the reference to Job which makes her seem all the more inspirational. Being able to ask what is God’s purpose and if it is God’s will then it is to be accepted.

The set-up of the video was touching. She pulled in people of all different races and different types of voice to give her technological voice a real voice.

What really surprised me was the complete thoughts and the philosophical understanding she brought in to her speech. It was much more than just a “hear I am, and here’s what I want to say.” She had evidence to support her claims and great examples of things to look for in students with the same disability.  

Here We Are World

This video was really interesting. I would have never thought about being able to hold a conference through their digital assistance machines (at least until we discussed Barb’s lectures and books.) I felt like the machines really did give them a voice and made them be able to communicate in a better, faster way than they could have before the machines. I think Barb is doing quite a bit in her life to bring awareness to people who need these devices and the thoughts they have on their needs and how their life changes with the use of the devices. In the second video, Barb was discussing how she wanted a more normal life, she wanted to be seen as a normal person with normal feelings and not seen as an outsider who is stupid. I think through these videos and presentations, Barb is changing the view of people with autisim and bringing awareness to the needs they have and the technology that can really change their lives.