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Career Management Strategies of People With Disabilities
Author(s) -
Kulkarni Mukta,
Gopakumar K. V.
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
human resource management
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.888
H-Index - 94
eISSN - 1099-050X
pISSN - 0090-4848
DOI - 10.1002/hrm.21570
Subject(s) - competence (human resources) , psychology , set (abstract data type) , applied psychology , medical education , public relations , social psychology , medicine , political science , computer science , programming language
People with disabilities ( PWD ) tend to experience less career success than their counterparts without a disability, and their talent and skill remain underutilized. Disability literature also outlines various barriers to careers of PWD . Yet there are those who successfully manage their careers. Our aim in the present interview‐based study was to understand which strategies PWD engage in to manage their careers proactively. Findings indicate that strategies include maintaining a positive mind‐set; trouncing competence stereotypes by sensitizing people to their ability through learning and applying new skills, and by seeking feedback; engaging in disability advocacy to remove performance myths; and building, leveraging, and contributing to disability networks. We noted gender and tenure differences with regard to strategies employed. Findings imply that career objectives of PWD are not those traditionally expected or lauded by organizations, and motivations for career self‐management are unique to PWD as compared to those without a disability. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.