Jessica Irwin is many things: a photographer, artist, author, performer. She also happens to be nonverbal, born with cerebral palsy that affects the muscles she needs to talk. Speaking through a device that turns her typed words into speech, she gives a sharp, funny and urgent reminder that being unable to speak has nothing to do with intelligence — and shares a few easy ways anyone can better communicate with nonverbal people. (Recorded at TED2026 on April 16, 2026)
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@chukabucka
November 6, 2026 at 11:12 am
Jessica I see you. Thank you.
@drumbum3.142
November 6, 2026 at 11:51 am
Respect.
@negyt7665
November 6, 2026 at 11:13 am
Well. Wow. I am 40, I was born paralyzed from the waist down. Suddenly, being incapable of sexual pleasure doesn’t seem so bad. Damn.
@BonnieShadow33
November 6, 2026 at 6:55 pm
Perspective makes us appreciate what we have. This is why I try hard to hold onto gratitude even when my chronic pain flares up.
@blipco5
November 6, 2026 at 11:20 am
Thank you for this Jessica. Now I understand. If I meet someone like you I’ll have a better idea of how to interact. But for me it’s the opposite. Where I can express 100% of my thoughts, those around me wish it was only 25%. 😂❤
@Stricken555
November 6, 2026 at 11:21 am
You are heard
@Mountain_Ram
November 6, 2026 at 11:28 am
Hi Jessica, I’m T. It was beautiful listening to you. Thank you for being here.
@FadmaMahamed
November 6, 2026 at 11:29 am
You are amizing I love you ❤
@sharibigay4712
November 6, 2026 at 11:36 am
This and any more of this talk should be mandatory in all health care programs (not just nurses), and it would be great in like middle school so everyone is exposed to this info. I live in a small town my very autistic now adult son, was nonverbal when he started school. Since he actually loves people, basically everyone knows him now. Plus he had six other siblings that kept an eye out for anyone being mean (which only happened once).
@DS-pe8tt
November 6, 2026 at 11:38 am
Thank you, Jessica! And we need to do so much more than awareness. iWe need to change how nonverbals are treated. My mom’s disease caused her to be nonverbal for the last six months of life and I saw all the cruel treatment to her.
@drumbum3.142
November 6, 2026 at 11:52 am
– There are Many Different Ways to Speak/Communicate 🎭
@Odb718
November 6, 2026 at 11:54 am
I like the looking up and down.
@reedaahavah6588
November 6, 2026 at 12:29 pm
God bless you🙏🏽
@myNAMEisKIRSTY
November 6, 2026 at 12:36 pm
What a fantastic speech! It must be so hard to have these barriers to hold a conversation. Such a clear and important message
@palmtreemusicBH
November 6, 2026 at 12:43 pm
Awesome ! Thank you Jessica. ❤
@pauladelcarmen3753
November 6, 2026 at 12:49 pm
Yes, you are like me. God bless you.
@galacticpotato607
November 6, 2026 at 1:13 pm
thankyou for sharing your experience, although i dont have cerebral palsy & can talk now, i was nonverbal as a kid so its really cool to see someone else talking about how strange people act & how upsetting it is that people equate amount of words to intelligence
@faridanazirova1828
November 6, 2026 at 1:52 pm
Thanks Jessica.People all around the world hear you
@chelseyblairotarot
November 6, 2026 at 2:41 pm
I can’t help but think of how many people in the past who were nonverbal with CP were unable to share that they understood what was going on around them before communication devices.
Also her hair is great
@BonnieShadow33
November 6, 2026 at 6:54 pm
💯 on both points!
@maepie
November 6, 2026 at 2:54 pm
Awesome TED Talk. Thank you!
@HarmonyHaze-q1l
November 6, 2026 at 2:58 pm
I Can’t Speak. Here’s How I Get People to Listen | Jessica Irwin | TED You are amizing I love you ❤
@haukenot3345
November 6, 2026 at 3:23 pm
The idea of using head and eye movements for yes/no communication is so simple and helpful! I’m really grateful for this tip, and for the new perspective generally.
@sunny5142
November 6, 2026 at 4:28 pm
One of the most important TED talks I’ve ever listened to. Just keep her words in mind – so you can help people if need be.
@JoAnnAnthony-h2e
November 6, 2026 at 5:47 pm
OMG, it would make me nuts not to be able to give an instant “come back” in conversation. For my personality, that would be crippling.
@andrewkaylor
November 6, 2026 at 6:03 pm
This was awesome to experience, thank you so much Jessica!
@BonnieShadow33
November 6, 2026 at 6:53 pm
“Take it like a nonverbal person” hit me hard…
I was a nurse for 17 yrs before becoming disabled, and when I did pediatric home health, I had many clients with CP. One teenage boy was in a special ed class in school, and I swear his teacher didn’t even try to communicate with him. It frustrated me no end. I even *showed* the teacher that the kid could at least answer yes/no or two-choice questions by looking up or down, and the teacher was astonished. Smh…
Now I live in HUD Housing, and one of my neighbors has CP affecting her speech. She is able to speak, but listeners must be patient and listen carefully. One time I gave her a ride to get her phone looked at, and they kept directing questions to me. I told them, “Ask her, it’s her phone!” I finally pulled out a game to force them to actually talk to her. I swear, people seem to think that any disability means the person is also unintelligent. It’s ridiculous!