Research on the communication of person with acquired disabilities from their perspective provides us a unique opportunity to study how previous members of a mainstream culture adjust to becoming members of a minority culture. This study aimed to determine how persons with acquired disabilities adjust their verbal and nonverbal communication behavior when communicating with ablebodied persons specifically in the household and workplace. In looking at the subjects? verbal communication adjustments, the researcher focused on their language usage and speech styles. For the nonverbal communication adjustments, on the other hand, the researcher focused on the subjects? use of space and time. Five cases were subjective in in-depth interviews, overt participation, and unobtrusive observation. Using Giles? Communication Accommodation Theory, results of the analysis showed the subjects generally converge their communication behavior towards ablebodied persons. Also, using the concepts of intercultural communication, the researcher found out that the subjects? self-identity and social location as well as the ablebodied persons? stereotypes and views on PWDs affect their communication behavior in such a way that they create verbal and nonverbal communication adjustments when interacting with ablebodied persons. Other factors on the subjects? easy integration into the mainstream society were also identified in this study.

Thesis (B.A. Communication Arts) -- University of the Philippines Mindanao