ABSTRACT
Persons with physical disabilities have come far from sequestering imposed by self or others to an increasingly active, public role. From attending school and pursuing careers, appearing as characters on television shows and in advertisements, to patronizing businesses, to lobbying in the halls of Congress, persons with disabilities are no longer a silent minority group. Perhaps most significant has been the passage of the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA), which has focused attention on persons with disabilities, who constitute up to 7% of the American population and who are, in some states, the largest minority group (Wheratt, 1988). Persons with disabilities represent a minority group that is undereducated, underemployed, and among the poorest of American minority groups ("Exceptional Parents," 1992). With all the public and legislative strides forward, however, one source reports that the rate of participation in the workforce by persons with disabilities has been on the decline in recent years, even though employers report that they find persons with disabilities to be good employees ("Exceptional Parents," 1992; see Johnson & Albrecht, chap. 22, for a discussion of persons with disabilities in the workplace).
