Independence, participation, and the meaning of intellectual ability

This article presents a non-speaking person's perspectives on independence and the implications of newfound communication abilities for her participat ion in the world and upon the meaning of intellectual ability. The person w ith the communication disability also has autism and, early in her life, wa s classified by school officials as 'severely retarded'. The narrative focu ses especially on the concepts of independence, participation, and intellec tual competence or intellectual performance, and their relationship to the concepts of democracy, freedom, and identity, all from a non-essentialist p erspective. In addition, the article addresses practical questions about ho w, from her perspective, the non-speaking person developed the ability to c ommunicate without physical support.