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:- <a href="https://danilynrutherford.com/">Danilyn Rutherford</a> is the author of “<a href="https://dukeupress.edu/beautiful-mystery">Beautiful Mystery: Living in a Wordless World</a>”<a href="https://www.wunc.org/2026-05-05/how-a-mother-learned-to-connect-without-language-transcript">Read the transcript</a> | Review the podcast on your preferred platformFollow Embodied on <a href="https://www.instagram.com/embodiedwunc/?hl=en">Instagram </a><a href="https://www.speakpipe.com/msg/s/254474/43/83gu0x074ydhd8wm">Leave a message for Embodied</a>

<description>
 &lt;p&gt;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. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Meet the guest:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;- &lt;a href="https://danilynrutherford.com/"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Danilyn Rutherford&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt; is the author of “&lt;a href="https://dukeupress.edu/beautiful-mystery"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Beautiful Mystery: Living in a Wordless World&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;”&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.wunc.org/2026-05-05/how-a-mother-learned-to-connect-without-language-transcript"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Read the transcript&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;strong&gt; | Review the podcast on your preferred platform&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Follow Embodied on &lt;a href="https://www.instagram.com/embodiedwunc/?hl=en"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Instagram &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.speakpipe.com/msg/s/254474/43/83gu0x074ydhd8wm"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Leave a message for Embodied&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
 </description>

An anthropologist questions the connection between language and relationship-building while raising her multiply disabled daughter, who doesn’t communicate with words, signs or symbols.

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:

- <a href="https://danilynrutherford.com/">Danilyn Rutherford</a> is the author of “<a href="https://dukeupress.edu/beautiful-mystery">Beautiful Mystery: Living in a Wordless World</a>”

<a href="https://www.wunc.org/2026-05-05/how-a-mother-learned-to-connect-without-language-transcript">Read the transcript</a> | Review the podcast on your preferred platform

Follow Embodied on <a href="https://www.instagram.com/embodiedwunc/?hl=en">Instagram </a>

<a href="https://www.speakpipe.com/msg/s/254474/43/83gu0x074ydhd8wm">Leave a message for Embodied</a>

Embodied

How A Mother Learned To Connect Without Language

How A Mother Learned To Connect Without Language

Description