116 Copyright © 2011, IGI Global. Copying or distributing in print or electronic forms without written permission of IGI Global is prohibited. Chapter 7 Electronic Mentoring in the Classroom: Where Mentors and Students are Persons with Disabilities Carmit-Noa Shpigelman University of Haifa, Israel Patrice L. (Tamar) Weiss University of Haifa, Israel Shunit Reiter University of Haifa, Israel introDuction Historically, persons with disabilities were a marginalized group, a fact that reflected broad societal judgments of pity, at best, fear and, in some cases, loathing at worst. Since the 1970s, society’s views of persons with disabilities have become more enlightened. Towards the end of the 20 th century, the concept of a person with a disability has changed from the traditional medical model to the newer humanistic and social model. According to the medical model of disability, persons with disabilities are viewed as defective and in need of being “fixed,” rather than being included as ABstrAct In recent years, we have witnessed a process of growing awareness and increased activity among per- sons with disabilities toward improvements in their living conditions and their full inclusion into society. Still, persons with disabilities experience difficulty in achieving the interpersonal competencies needed to develop adaptive social behaviors, to achieve and maintain close relationships, and to fulfill their potential. Mentoring appears to promote interpersonal development when it is conducted via tradi- tional face-to-face methods or via electronic means. In particular, electronic mentoring programs that nurture relationships between persons with disabilities appear to have considerable potential for their empowerment. In this chapter we discuss the relevance, feasibility and utility of e-mentoring interven- tion programs designed especially for young people with disabilities. DOI: 10.4018/978-1-61520-861-6.ch007