ENHANCING COMMUNICATION WITH PERSONS LABELED SEVERELY DISABLED

Among the most important philosophical shifts in our perspective on pe rsons labeled severely disabled has been a change from an exclusive em phasis on remediation of deficit behavior to a positon of empowering a nd enabling persons with disabilities to participate in all aspects of everyday living. Fundamental to that shift is the reconsideration of the role of persons without obvious disabilities. In this paper introd ucing a special issue on communication, we examine the role of communi cation partners in enhancing communication with persons labeled severe ly disabled. Three fundamental assumptions about the nature of communi cation are discussed. The papers contained in the volume are reviewed briefly and recommendations for future research are considered.