This keynote address discusses the importance of having a dream, or shared vision, of the future of individuals with severe disabilities within society. A dream of a social environment that encourages and enables communication with individuals with severe disabilities is proposed. A plan for turning that dream into reality focuses on effective communication partnering, where all members of society have the desire and skills needed to communicate effectively with individuals with severe disabilities. The presentation concludes with a journey on a flying machine, which provides an overview perspective of how the field has evolved through various emphases, including communication units (pre-1957 period), rules (1960s), communicative intent (early 1970s), communicative function (mid 1970s), dyadic interaction (late 1970s), and the ecological interrelationship of individual and environmental variables (1980s). The speech then urges the melding or merging of all previous phases if the dream of full inclusion and the scheme of effective partnering are to be attained. (DB)