Profile of Success - Tracy Rackensperger
"My
Pathfinder has enhanced my life by being a reliable way to communicate unlike
my past device," expressed Tracy Rackensperger, who has always lived in
Altamonte Springs, Florida.
Tracy is very proud of obtaining a Radio-Television degree from the University of Central Florida. Currently, she is applying for graduate school to pursue a Masters degree in Communication. She describes herself as a goal-oriented person with a lot of dedication to succeed in life. "My greatest strength is my never-give-up attitude. I have accomplished a lot in my life and still intend to accomplish more," expressed Tracy.
Presently, a high priority career goal of hers is to continue to be an advocate for people with disabilities. "This past summer, I was selected as the Florida self-advocate representative to attend Project Leadership, a two-week national leadership program for self-advocates and parent-advocates in Washington, DC," said Tracy. Additionally, she recently had the opportunity to use her Pathfinder to speak to individuals with developmental disabilities in the states of Florida, Georgia, and Rhode Island. She encourages them to "have a say" in how they want to live their lives and to take control!
Tracy expressed that even though her advocacy work is really interesting, it can be very challenging to change the "general public's attitudes about people with disabilities." She overcomes these attitudes by ignoring people who are close-minded and, in Tracy's own words, "for those who are just ignorant, I teach them that people with disabilities have abilities just like everybody else."
When Tracy is not busy traveling and advocating for people with disabilities, she enjoys spending time with her family including her dog, Molly, a Newfoundland. She also enjoys going fishing, camping, and sailing. One of her most memorable sailing experiences happened when she went sailing in Providence. "It was really neat to be on a boat with no motor. Just the strong winds made us go fast. It was calming and relaxing," she exclaimed.
If you would like Tracy to come and present on advocacy issues, you may e-mail her at tdoggog@aol.com.
Tracy, we wish you the best of luck with advocating for persons with disabilities and your personal achievements.