Tyler: I am loving being the coordinator of the Communication Equity Campaign here at the Spellers & Allies Advocacy Network (S&A). I am so proud of the work that we are doing to raise awareness of Spelling to Communicate (S2C) in Black, Indigenous, & People of Color (BIPOC) communities, to share the struggles of BIPOC nonspeakers, and to showcase all of our strengths and talents. And now, I am happy to introduce my friend and fellow S&A member Divyesh Jain, whom I interviewed about a book that he recommended, called Talking Fingers: Voices of Nonspeaking Indian Autistics. This book does a great job of illustrating the brilliance and empathy of BIPOC nonspeakers. Divyesh and I got together at the Motormorphosis Conference in Reston, Virginia, over a weekend in July 2025 to discuss the book and some other things. I hope that you enjoy my interview with Divyesh.
Hi Divyesh, thanks for doing this interview with me! Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?
Tyler: How old are you?
Divyesh: 24 Years old
Tyler: Where do you live? Tell us about your family.
Divyesh: I live in Tampa Bay, Florida. We are a nuclear family with my parents and me.
Tyler: Do you have any siblings?
Divyesh: No
Tyler: Were you born in the US?
Divyesh: No, I was born in India and moved to the US when I was two.
Tyler: How about your parents?
Divyesh: My parents were born and educated in India. My dad moved to the US to pursue his PHd.
Tyler: Tell us about your hobbies.
Divyesh: I like music, listening to books on audible, working out in the gym, hiking, and traveling.
Tyler: How long have you been spelling?
Divyesh: 7.5 years
Tyler: How did you learn how to spell?
Divyesh: I started spelling with Dana at her clinic. Then I joined Invictus Academy and spelled with teachers.
So you recommended the Talking Fingers: Voices of Indian Non-Speaking Autistics book at a recent Spellers & Allies meeting.
Tyler: How did you become familiar with the book?
Divyesh: I saw a link to the book on Facebook.
Tyler: Can you tell us a little bit about the book?
Divyesh: The book is a compilation of interviews with 16 nonspeakers who spell or type to communicate and live in India. Some of them are poets and writers. The book starts with a short bio of each nonspeaker and each chapter is responses to an interview question. This book was written to show the world that nonspeaking does not equal to nonthinking. The book is edited by Padma Jyothi and Chitra Paul who are mothers of nonspeakers.
Tyler: Who would you recommend the book to?
Divyesh: I would recommend this book to parents of autistic children, teachers, pediatricians, speech therapists, any professional who works with autistics, and lawmakers in the US and India.
Tyler: Why would you recommend this book?
Divyesh: This book will dispel the myths about nonspeaking autistics and remove the misconceptions about them. It will show them that nonspeaking autistics are not intellectually disabled or lack empathy. They have talents and emotions like neurotypicals.
Tyler: This book was published in April of this year. Do you know the story of how the book came to be published?
Divyesh: I do not know, but would like to learn.
Tyler: Each chapter of the book is based on a question that each speller answers. I thought that was a good idea. What did you think of that?
Divyesh: Reading the answers gives you an insight into each spellers’ personality and journey. It makes you want to learn more about them.
Tyler: What was your favorite question?
Divyesh: Chapter 7 – Your thoughts on the myth that autistics lack empathy and theory of mind.
Tyler: How would you have answered that question?
Divyesh: I would say that this is the most dangerous misconception. It denies our emotions and humanity. Autistics have more empathy than neurotypicals. Our outsides do not match the insides. This leads to the misconception.
Tyler: What is your favorite part of the book overall?
Divyesh: I love to get to know about all these inspiring individuals.
Tyler: What is your favorite quote from the book?
Divyesh: I want to share a quote by Navneet Kulkarni “Autism Does not Define Us, We Define Autism.” There is a powerful message in this quote. We are not just defined by our disability. We determine our legacy.
Tyler: Do you know any of the authors?
Divyesh: I do not know them personally. I would like to meet them.
Let’s talk a little about the situation with spelling in India.
Tyler: Are there a lot of spellers in India?
Divyesh: I am not sure. India is a big country. I am not sure if there is a school like Invictus.
Tyler: Is it easier or more difficult to learn to spell in India vs the US?
Divyesh: That is hard to say. Mainstream teachers and medical professionals do not know about Spelling to Communicate. It is by luck that our parents heard about it. I do not know if there are many practitioners in India. We need a lot of advocacy to bring S2C to all nonspeaking autistics.
Thank you to Divyesh Jain for the interview and for sharing this amazing book with us! Please support these nonspeaking authors by purchasing Talking Fingers: Voices of Indian Non-Speaking Autistics available on Amazon today!
If you know a nonspeaker who would like to join our Communication Equity campaign, a BIPOC nonspeaker or ally who would like to be interviewed, or you have a book recommendation, please let us know. We would also love to be connected with any BIPOC community organizations that you have a relationship with. Learn more about our campaign here.
About the Authors
Divyesh Jain is a 24-year-old nonspeaking autistic who has been Spelling to Communicate since 2018. Divyesh attended Invictus Academy of Tampa Bay from August 2018 to July 2022 and graduated with a high school diploma in July 2022. Currently he is attending St. Petersburg college and wants to pursue a degree in Anthropology.
Divyesh is a member of the I-ASC Nonspeaking Leadership Council (NLC). He has been a member of the Spellers & Allies Advocacy Network since its inception. He actively participates in the advocacy efforts of Spellers & Allies network by participating in their campaigns and co-facilitating the meeting on rotation basis with help of an ally.
He is a passionate advocate for right to communication for all nonspeakers. His goal is to make mostly neurotypicals understand how we are on the inside. He feels nonspeakers should be able to pursue their dreams of higher education by receiving accommodations that include but are not limited to being allowed to use S2C and having a Communication Regulation Partner (CRP) with them.
Tyler Mason is a 25-year-old, black nonspeaker, who lives with his family in Carmel, New York. He learned how to Spell to Communicate about 4 years ago at the age of 21, after spending most of his life with no way to communicate. Tyler now works part-time for the International Association for Spelling as Communication (I-ASC) as a Nonspeaking Coordinator for the Spellers & Allies Advocacy Network. He enjoys traveling with his family, writing, going to the beach, listening to books and hanging out with friends. He is also a college student at Westchester Community College.
