ABSTRACT
It has become clear in recent years that persons with disabilities are no longer an invisible group. Becoming prominent in the workforce, in the media, and on the political scene, persons with disabilities are "America's last minority" (Condon, 1987). More than any other event, the passage of the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) has focused attention on persons with disabilities, who constitute an ever-growing force. However, even federal legislation cannot overcome many of the physical and social challenges associated with being disabled, in which all areas of an individual's life—behavioral, economic, and social—are affected. Even when persons with disabilities do overcome their physical limitations, they still face considerable social barriers in an ablebodied-oriented world. Uncomfortable communication and relationships between ablebodied and disabled persons can erect great roadblocks for persons with disabilities to overcome (Braithwaite, 1990; Braithwaite & Labrecque, 1994).
