Career advancement challenges facing people with disabilities in South Africa

Abstract

The objective of this study was to assess the perceptions of individuals with disabilities regarding the career advancement challenges they face and to determine whether the perceptions of career advancement challenges disabled individuals from different races, ages, genders and occupational levels differ. This study employed a qualitative approach to explore the career advancement challenges and also to achieve the empirical objectives. The empirical study was conducted with 15 employees with declared disabilities employed by two group companies in different sectors in the Gauteng Province. Probability, purposeful and snowballing sampling techniques were applied. The findings indicated that most people with disabilities experienced career advancement challenges, especially promotion opportunities. Managers and colleagues’ lack of knowledge about disabilities have an adverse impact on the careers of individuals living with a disability. The findings of this study may help companies improve practices on the integration and inclusion of employees with disabilities and also on decision-making regarding their careers.