Independence, Participation, and the Meaning of Intellectual Ability
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
12-1-2001
Abstract
This article presents a non-speaking person's perspectives on independence and the implications of newfound communication abilities for her participation in the world and upon the meaning of intellectual ability. The person with the communication disability also has autism and, early in her life, was classified by school officials as 'severely retarded'. The narrative focuses especially on the concepts of independence, participation, and intellectual competence or intellectual performance, and their relationship to the concepts of democracy, freedom, and identity, all from a non-essentialist perspective. In addition, the article addresses practical questions about how, from her perspective, the non-speaking person developed the ability to communicate without physical support.
DOI
10.1080/09687590120045969
MSU Digital Commons Citation
Rubin, S.; Biklen, D.; Kasa-Hendrickson, C.; Kluth, P.; Cardinal, D. N.; and Broderick, Alicia, "Independence, Participation, and the Meaning of Intellectual Ability" (2001). Department of Teaching and Learning Scholarship and Creative Works. 74.
https://digitalcommons.montclair.edu/teaching-learning-facpubs/74