What does it mean to truly be heard when you can’t speak? Jessica Frew, a nonverbal actress, model, and passionate disability advocate, joins We’re Not Stumped to share her powerful story of living with cerebral palsy and using an eye gaze device to communicate—a technology she began using at just nine years old.
While Jess initially limited the device to school and close friends, she opens up about the emotional weight of using it publicly and the deeply personal regret of not speaking to her father through it before he passed away.
Over time, Jess found strength in her voice and now uses it to educate, advocate, and challenge misconceptions about nonverbal individuals. She speaks with host Mike Bolland about the common experience of being talked down to or ignored—and how she responds with patience, courage, and relentless advocacy.
Jess also talks about modeling with Runway of Dreams, pushing for more disability representation in fashion and entertainment, and fighting for real change in policy—from disability education in schools to raising income limits for Medicare. She introduces her book The Disabled, or the Nonverbal Princess and teases exciting upcoming projects, including a love story and a TV pilot about an inter-abled couple.
This is a story of voice beyond words, and of a woman determined to make sure others like her are seen, heard, and respected.
#DisabilityAdvocate #CerebralPalsyAwareness #NonverbalVoices #InclusionMatters #AdaptiveTechnology #RepresentationMatters #RunwayOfDreams #DisabilityRights #AuthenticRepresentation #WereNotStumped
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In this episode of "We're Not Stumped," host Mike Bolland sits down with Jakob Kepka to discuss his remarkable journey. Jakob's life took a drastic turn after a workplace injury in 1979, leading to years of treatments, including repeated Cortisone shots, and ultimately six knee replacements between 2001 and 2013. Listen in as Jakob shares his story of resilience, overcoming physical challenges, and how he's turned his experiences into a mission of hope and inspiration called the "Hoperaising Expedition".
