On 5 June 2024, the Autism@UL Special Interest Group hosted an event by Ginnie Breen and Elizabeth Bonker.
Ginnie and Elizabeth have established a charity called Communication 4 ALL which helps non-speakers communicate through a global program of internet-based instructional videos teaching how to spell and type (C4A Academy).
During the event, Elizabeth Bonker, who is CEO of the C4A charity, showed a 20 minutes video presentation of their mission and engaged in Q&A session with the public by spelling and typing her answers.
A little bit about Elizabeth:
Elizabeth Bonker is the Executive Director of Communication 4 ALL, a nonprofit with the mission to gain communication for more than 30 million non-speakers with autism worldwide. Elizabeth learned to type to communicate when she was five years old and entered mainstream public school. Elizabeth’s decade of advocacy work includes a book, I Am in Here, and a music album. She has given dozens of published interviews and keynote addresses including the Stanford Medical School Neurodiversity Summit, the Neurodiversity in Business in London, and the India Inclusion Summit in Bangalore. Elizabeth’s story has been featured in three documentary films: SPELLERS, Understanding Autism, and In Our Own Hands. Elizabeth is a 2022 graduate from Rollins College’s Honors Program and her valedictorian commencement address went viral with 4 billion media impressions propelling her mission onto a global stage. Elizabeth is a member of Autism Society’s Justice Center Task Force and Public Policy Committee. In 2024, Elizabeth was elected to the Board of Autism Society of Florida.
The event was followed by a kind thanking message sharing the folloing resources for those who could not attend:
- Communication 4 ALL’s website
- C4A Academy
- C4A Academy Community Facebook group
The SPELLERS movie
Understanding Autism documentary
Crip Camp.