How A Mother Learned To Connect Without Language

How A Mother Learned To Connect Without Language

From Embodied by WUNC

May 7, 2026 · 50 min

About this episode

Danilyn Rutherford discusses her experiences of mothering a multiply-disabled child and the challenges of communication without language.

How do you care for someone you struggle to communicate with ... and can never fully understand? That's the question anthropologist Danilyn Rutherford has been wrestling with for decades — ever since it became clear that her daughter Millie would never speak, sign or use symbols to express herself. Danilyn talks with Anita about how mothering a multiply-disabled child challenged her beliefs about the importance of language for human connection. Meet the guest: - Danilyn Rutherford is the author of “ Beautiful Mystery: Living in a Wordless World ” Read the transcript | Review the podcast on your preferred platform Follow Embodied on Instagram Leave a message for Embodied

People in this episode

Guest: Danilyn Rutherford

Topics covered

  • communication
  • motherhood
  • disability
  • language
  • human connection

Keywords

  • communication
  • disability
  • motherhood
  • language
  • human connection
  • Danilyn Rutherford

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: Beautiful Mystery: Living in a Wordless World

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