I can't speak. Here's how I get people to listen | Jessica Irwin
Thursday, 22 October 2026 · 2 min read · Listen to the episode ↗
Jessica Irwin explains how cerebral palsy affects her ability to speak, while leaving her intelligence intact, and why her device’s roughly seven-word-per-minute pace captures only about a quarter of what she wants to say. She shares practical ways to communicate when devices aren’t usable, including agreed yes-or-no signals, and describes training hospital staff to listen rather than misread or overlook nonverbal patients.
Jessica Irwin’s cerebral palsy affects the muscles she uses to speak and move, not her intelligence. Her communication device lets her type at about seven words per minute, but it allows her to express only roughly 25% of what she wants to say. The other 75% remains unspoken, a gap that can leave people unaware of her thoughts, knowledge, preferences, or needs.
That gap can have immediate consequences. In a hospital, a nurse ignored Irwin’s notes and rolled her onto an injured hip. The nurse interpreted Irwin’s distress as fussing, and Irwin experienced unnecessary pain. She is bringing communication training into hospitals to reduce the risk that staff will misread or overlook other patients who cannot speak.
Irwin says communication devices do not solve every problem: they may be too slow for a quick warning in an emergency, and a nonverbal person may be unable to use a device while lying down. In those situations, simple agreed signals can help. She recommends asking yes-or-no questions and establishing a reliable response, such as looking up for yes and down for no. With someone’s cooperation, eye movements can also support more complex communication, including spelling by looking up when the desired letter is read aloud.
The method has to fit the person. Asking Irwin to squeeze someone’s hand may not produce a dependable answer because cerebral palsy can cause an involuntary grip. The broader lesson is to avoid assuming that a familiar gesture will work, and instead find out how the person can communicate reliably.
Irwin urges people to begin with a normal greeting, speak at a normal volume and pace, and pay attention to facial expressions, eye movements, and communication devices. Being nonverbal does not mean someone lacks opinions or understanding, and brain damage should not be treated as proof that a person is unintelligent. People may speak down to nonverbal individuals or pat them on the head because they are unsure how to interact; Irwin’s advice is to address the person directly and look for the ways they are communicating.
This summary was generated from the episode transcript and can contain mistakes.