Navigating Careers as a Person with Disability

Persons with disabilities (PWD) often face considerable barriers regarding their workplace inclusion on the one hand but may also receive support fostering their inclusion. This becomes especially crucial when regarding the career ambitions. Interviews with 21 employees with disabilities across three Swiss companies revealed a multitudes of career paths. Each comes with its own distinct role of disability type, onset, and agency. Three distinct career patterns emerge from the analysis: Stepping back, reinvention, and a ‘model’ career. They all come with internal differentiations based on the context in which they are embedded. A key finding is that disability can have both a transformative and or disruptive impact on people’s careers.