Every mother remembers her child’s first words. There’s an indescribable joy of hearing “Mama” or “I love you.” But what happens when those words never come? For Kendra Frank, that was her reality. Instead of first words, there were meltdowns, frustrated gestures and a longing to understand the thoughts locked inside her son’s mind.
After watching her toddler Elliott struggling to communicate, Frank set out to establish a connection between her son and the world. And what started with determination and a few simple pictures has blossomed into a movement that today, thanks to Frank’s nonprofit, Elliott’s Voice, is helping children across North Texas be understood.
One Mom, One Printer, and a Big Idea
Frank describes Elliott as bright, funny and full of personality. But when he was 18 months old, she noticed something different. He wasn’t talking, not like the other kids. While caring for her father in hospice and juggling sandwich-generation responsibilities, Frank finally listened to a nudge from her sister-in-law and called Tarrant County’s free Early Childhood Intervention program. That’s when life began to change.
“I’m not a tech expert. I’m just a mom in the trenches who knew my son needed this, and other kids did too.”
Elliott was diagnosed with childhood apraxia of speech and autism at age 3. Simply put, he knew exactly what he wanted to say, but his mouth and tongue couldn’t make the words come out. Frank says, “When you get this diagnosis, they don’t give you much. It was scary. I had never even heard of it. Once Elliott was evaluated, we were able to get him into therapy. This is how I found out about the world of AAC.”
AAC stands for Augmentative and Alternative Communication and can include everything from sign language to speech-generating devices to something as simple as a low-tech communication board that displays pictures and symbols on laminated paper.
Frank started with a free AAC app on Elliott’s tablet called Let Me Talk and added photos of things he liked: foods, colors, animals. “He just got it. He figured it out and started communicating,” she says. “It was beautiful watching him take control of his world.
“As a mom, it’s so hard to watch your child have a meltdown over something as simple as chips,” Frank says. “You just think: Can you just tell me what kind of chips you want? But when he finally tapped on a picture and told me and his face lit up, it was life-changing for both of us.”
All the work for Elliott’s Voice is done from Frank’s home using a couple of laminators and a single printer. “I don’t have a degree in speech-language pathology. I’m not a tech expert. I’m just a mom in the trenches who knew my son needed this, and other kids did too,” Frank says.
Frank’s vision for Elliott’s Voice is ambitious. She’s written several state representatives in hopes of getting a law passed that would require ACC in public places. “Just like we require sidewalk ramps or Braille signs, we should require a way for everyone to communicate,” she says.
A Voice, Everywhere
One day while at the zoo, Elliott’s iPad battery overheated. “Technology had limited us, and Elliott had lost his voice,” Franks says. That’s when the idea struck. Frank began creating durable low-tech communication boards, which look like colorful placemats that show icons and words representing needs, emotions, places, and actions: things like “I want,” “hungry,” “tired,” or “I need help.”
The first board created for the Fort Worth Zoo was mainly because Frank and her family are members and she and Elliott visit weekly. “When Elliott used the board I made, he pointed to ‘feed the giraffes.’ I didn’t even know he wanted to do that. But in that instant, I understood him. After all of those visits, that day he got to do exactly what he wanted.”
Frank says, “I want people to understand that these boards aren’t fancy, but they are powerful.” She also wants everyone to know that they are completely free. “I don’t think someone should have to pay for communication. I think it’s a basic human right.”
Since then, Elliott’s Voice has donated boards to libraries, museums, schools, parks, and 18 local fire and police departments. Frank also recently provided 250 boards to the State Fair of Texas.
“Communication doesn’t have to be verbal to be beautiful. Your child’s voice is there; you just have to help the world hear it.”
Building Bridges in the Classroom
Ashley Boucher, an early childhood special education teacher at Burton Hill Elementary in Fort Worth, says Frank’s boards have transformed her classroom. “The boards have become a bridge between verbal and nonverbal students. Kids who use them to communicate feel seen and heard, while their classmates use them to include and collaborate. It’s been incredible to watch how naturally children adapt to communication boards. The students are curious, empathetic, and eager to connect,” Boucher says.
Frank’s communication boards are helpful for children who may be struggling with English as well. Many of her boards are printed in English and Spanish. Frank says, “A picture is the same no matter the language.”
Boucher sees broader ripple effects, too: “Having these boards available in schools and throughout the community ensures that every child, regardless of ability, has access to communication. It truly levels the playing field and fosters a sense of belonging for all.”
A Tool for Emergencies
Public safety has been a big focus for Frank. “In an emergency, Elliott won’t be able to verbalize what’s wrong. If his iPad isn’t available, how can he tell a paramedic where it hurts?” So, she created special emergency communication boards that include key words for pain, body parts and emotions.
Jason Loveland, a Fort Worth firefighter and the parent of an autistic son, says, “The boards from Elliott’s Voice are built with common phrases and conditions that would better serve in an emergency response environment. Kendra has worked very hard to customize these boards, tailoring them toward information gathering that might be unique and even critical to a fire/EMS emergency situation.”
Loveland praises the versatility of a tool that reaches beyond patients with apraxia of speech. “There are situations where there might be a language barrier, or a stroke victim with speech deficits, or even situations where trauma to the mouth and face make it impossible for them to communicate at all.”
In addition to providing her communication boards to several first-responder departments across DFW, Frank is working to ensure all emergency rooms are equipped with these tools.
Loveland says, “Kendra is a true hero. What she’s done allows us first responders to do our jobs better and makes the world safer for kids like ours.”
The Bottom Line
To request a board for your school, business, or public space, reach out to Elliott’s Voice on Instagram @elliotts_voice or email elliottsvoice21@gmail.com. Donations and sponsorships are welcome.
For other parents just beginning their special needs journey, Frank offers this advice: “Don’t give up. Progress looks different for every child. Communication doesn’t have to be verbal to be beautiful. Your child’s voice is there; you just have to help the world hear it.”
