ABSTRACT
Keywords: Autonomy, competence, fellowship face needs, cultural identities, relational
identities, intercultural communication competence
The 1990 passage of the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) focused national
attention on disability issues in the United States. It also provided a historical marker for
the disability civil rights movement, which has gained prominence in particular disability
communities like Deaf culture and in able and disabled populations more generally
(Barnartt, 1996; Longmore, 1995; Scotch, 1988). The ADA broadened the U.S. legal
definition of disability considerably, and 43 million persons now fit in the category
“Americans with disabilities” (Burnett & Paul, 1996). Furthermore, the ADA gave people
with disabilities a bigger role in negotiating their own reasonable accommodations.
