Son Can't Speak, So Mom Tattooed a Keyboard on Her Arm

Jessica Fletcher, mother of a non-verbal autistic child, tattooed a full keyboard on her arm so her son can always communicate with her. The idea was born when the batteries in his communication device died at a restaurant, and he drew a keyboard on a napkin. The video she posted on Facebook has garnered over two million likes, and the idea has spread worldwide.

Jessica Fletcher, mother of an 11-year-old non-verbal autistic boy, tattooed a full keyboard with letters, faces, and an "I love you" button on her arm so her son Hunter can always communicate with her. The idea was born when the batteries in his augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) device died mid-meal at a restaurant, and Hunter drew a keyboard on a napkin and started pointing. Fletcher worked with a tattoo artist to ink the keyboard, and the first word Hunter "typed" was "Mom." Since then, she says, much of the communication frustration between them has disappeared, and the tattoo enables quiet conversations. On July 8, Fletcher posted a video on Facebook of Hunter "speaking" through her arm, and the video has amassed over two million likes. The idea has spread, and Fletcher partnered with a clothing company to produce shirts with a printed keyboard. Parents, nurses, doctors, and rescue workers have reached out to her from around the world, and tattoo artists have offered to ink similar keyboards for free. Fletcher told a Canadian news station: "When we remove communication barriers, we give non-speakers the chance to show us who they really are."