photo by: Ashley Golledge

Bill Lacy, right, director of the Robert J. Dole Institute of Politics, interviews Temple Grandin about her advocacy for autistic persons and animal welfare at the Robert J. Dole Institute of Politics on Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2019.

Autism is an important part of Temple Grandin’s life, but it’s secondary in importance to her career, and it wasn’t always her biggest obstacle.

“Starting out in the ’70s in a man’s industry, being a woman was a much bigger barrier than autism ever was,” Grandin said Wednesday night to a crowd at the University of Kansas’ Dole Institute of Politics.

The audience let out a small gasp at that statement.

photo by: Ashley Golledge

A crowd fills the Dole Institute of Politics to watch Temple Grandin receive the 2019 Dole Leadership Prize on Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2019.

Grandin, an animal welfare expert, revolutionized the way cattle-handling facilities are designed. But it was a man’s world, and Grandin said not everyone liked the “girl nerd on their turf.” And she also mentioned that some foremen would make inappropriate advances.

But Grandin’s work ethic, brains and dedication helped her overcome the challenges thrown her way.

“When you’re weird, you’ve got to learn to sell your work,” Grandin, 72, said early on in her lecture.

Grandin is the recipient of numerous honors. In 2010, she was one of TIME Magazine’s Top 100 most influential people. That same year, HBO released a semi-autobiographical movie about her life called “Temple Grandin,” starring Claire Danes.

And on Wednesday night, Grandin received the Dole Leadership Prize, an annual award from the KU political institute. Past winners have included Nelson Mandela and former U.S. presidents George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton.

The award comes with a $25,000 cash prize, which Grandin told the audience she will donate to the equine sciences program at Colorado State University, where she is a professor of animal science. The money will go towards building a therapeutic riding center.

Throughout Grandin’s onstage interview with Dole Institute Director Bill Lacy and the following audience question-and-answer session, Grandin emphasized how important it is for young autistic people to focus on finding and keeping a job.

“I have a problem when 8-year-olds come up to me and all they want to do is talk about autism,” Grandin said. She said she tells older kids: “You’ll be a better advocate for autism if you get a job, learn how to keep it, go on to get a good career. Then you can tell others how you did that.”

Grandin said autistic kids need to get involved in the workforce early — ideally working for at least two summers before they graduate high school. She also emphasized the importance of limiting screen time and exposing children to creative projects.

“Students get interested in the stuff they get exposed to,” Grandin said. She said she became interested in cattle after visiting her aunt’s ranch one summer.

Grandin said she worries that there has been a decrease in skilled trade workers. Schools need to put more emphasis on creative classes, she said, because some students will find their success in less-emphasized fields such as theater or woodworking.

Grandin also spoke about different types of thinking. She’s a visual thinker, a trait that helped her in designing cattle-handling facilities.

She also touched on that theme in a 2010 TED Talk.

“In my work with cattle, I noticed a lot of little things that most people don’t notice would make the cattle balk,” she said in that talk, specifying things such as a waving flag, a hose on the floor or a hanging chain. “In the early ’70s, when I started, I got right down in the chutes to see what cattle were seeing; people thought that was crazy.”

On Wednesday, Grandin spoke about instances in which she took the “suits” — a term she used to refer to company executives — out of their offices and into the field to better understand the issues at hand.

She also said she has worked with co-writers on some of her books since she is a visual thinker and not a “word-thinker.”

“Different kinds of minds can complement each other,” she said.

Wednesday’s audience included students, professionals in fields such as special education and representatives from Lawrence’s public schools. The 400-person event space had reached capacity, and the institute had to turn away about 40 people.

“I sincerely apologize to anyone who was unable to attend the presentation,” Lacy wrote in a statement released after the event. “In our Institute’s history, we have had to turn people away on only the rarest of occasions.”

photo by: Ashley Golledge

Temple Grandin speaks about her advocacy for autistic persons and animal welfare at the Robert J. Dole Institute of Politics on Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2019.

photo by: Ashley Golledge

Temple Grandin discusses her advocacy for autistic persons and animal welfare at the Robert J. Dole Institute of Politics on Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2019.

photo by: Ashley Golledge

Temple Grandin discusses her advocacy for autistic persons and animal welfare at the Robert J. Dole Institute of Politics on Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2019.

photo by: Ashley Golledge

Bill Lacy, right, director of the Robert J. Dole Institute of Politics, interviews Temple Grandin about her advocacy for autistic persons and animal welfare at the Robert J. Dole Institute of Politics on Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2019.

photo by: Ashley Golledge

Temple Grandin discusses her advocacy for autistic persons and animal welfare at the Robert J. Dole Institute of Politics on Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2019.

photo by: Ashley Golledge

Temple Grandin discusses her advocacy for autistic persons and animal welfare at the Robert J. Dole Institute of Politics on Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2019.

photo by: Ashley Golledge

Rep. Barbara Ballard introduces Temple Grandin at the Robert J. Dole Institute of Politics on Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2019.