Elizabeth Bonker

Elizabeth Bonker is a talented young woman who, like any other fourteen year-old, is simply trying to discover her place in this world.  Unlike most fourteen year-olds, however, Elizabeth is profoundly affected by autism and cannot speak.  Nonetheless, she illuminates the inner world of autism through the poems she types one finger at a time.  In her recently published book, I Am in Here, she implores us through her poetry to look past the unusual behaviors of autism and see the intelligent people who lie underneath.  Elizabeth wants to be a voice for those who cannot yet speak for themselves and help parents, doctors and educators understand that children affected by autism are not problems to be endured, but hidden treasures waiting to be discovered.