A nonverbal autistic valedictorian gave the commencement speech at her college using a device that turns her typed words into speech. At the graduation ceremony for Rollins College in Winter Park, Florida this week, the school’s valedictorian gave an inspirational speech without actually speaking a word. Elizabeth Bonker, who lost her ability to speak when she was a toddler, was selected by the four other valedictorians to deliver the speech in front of the graduating class of over 500 students.
"I am one of the lucky few non-speaking autistics who have been taught to type," Bonker said via her text-to-speech device. "That one critical intervention unlocked my mind from its silent cage enabling me to communicate and to be educated."
The Mother’s Day ceremony was especially emotional for Bonker’s mother, Virginia Breen. "I'm just going to burst into tears," she says. "It was such a long journey for us … there were times which felt a bit hopeless." After graduation, Bonker will continue her work with her nonprofit Communication 4 All, which has the goal to make communication accessible to the millions of non speaking autistic people around the world.
Source: WESH