ABSTRACT

The group of individuals generally regarded as having severe disabilities is very heterogeneous with a wide range of physical, behavioral, and learning characteristics. The concept of “severe disabilities” grew from the primary advocacy, professional, and research organization The Association for Persons with Severe Disabilities (TASH) during the mid1970s. TASH developed in response to litigation and legislation establishing legal rights to education and other services for individuals with severe disabilities who traditionally had been excluded, segregated, and otherwise denied the right to access

education and to participate in mainstream American society.