Affiliations: Kent State University, Department of Educational
Foundations and Special Services, Kent, OH, USA | University of Arkansas, Department of Rehabilitation,
Human Resources, and Communication Disorders, Fayetteville, AR, USA | Kent State University, Center for Disability Studies,
Kent, OH, USA
Note: [] Address for correspondence: Dr. P.D. Rumrill, Center for
Disability Studies, 414 White Hall, PO Box 5190, Kent, OH 44242, USA. E-mail:
prumrill@kent.edu
Abstract: The purpose of this article is to explore the use of qualitative
research in vocational rehabilitation as a means of empowering people with
disabilities to (a) take greater control of their lives and (b) directly inform
public policy and vocational rehabilitation service delivery. After exploring
various definitions of the construct empowerment, we provide a rationale for
the use of qualitative research as an empowerment mechanism based on (a)
philosophies espoused by leaders of the independent living movement, (b)
disability legislation, and (c) a multi-constituency call for more consumer
involvement in research. We then describe empirical properties of various
qualitative methodologies that lend themselves to consumer empowerment. The
article concludes with several examples of qualitative approaches to scientific
inquiry from the rehabilitation literature that include many of the empowerment
aspects described herein.
