Introduction

Research on communication and disability issues is different in some important ways

from research on other communicative issues. All research interests are prompted by

some of the same things. People choose to study the things they do because of aptitudes

and abilities in certain areas and because certain ways of thinking about things make more

sense to them than do other approaches. Communication scientists study phenomena

because they help them understand more general communicative processes or because of

the relevance of communication theory or concepts to the phenomena. They also choose

topics to study because of personal experiences. It seems likely that the role of personal

experiences in creating interest in the study of communication and disability is, however,

even more important than it is in most other areas of study. And it may be that the reason

for this increased importance is the power of the personal experiences that prompt research.