How shall we see them? Perspectives for research with disabled organizations

This paper analyzes the experiences of two social scientists who participated as consultants in a long-term (4 years) film production project sponsored by an organization of disabled persons. The expectations of the investigators (both able bodied) at the beginning of the project are summarized, particularly with regard to social organization within the disabled community. The analysis contrasts these expectations with the reality of the project experience, focusing on the pertinence of appropriate variables for understanding the structure and behavior of disabled groups. A concluding section suggests implications for other investigators involved on a cooperative basis with disabled groups in applied research.