Career Success of Disabled High-flyers

Book excerpt: Disabled people can be seen pejoratively as a homogenous group that are typically "weak" and "needy" and thus unable to undertake the rigours of professional care work. Shah also notes that disabled people are often wrongly assumed to have a high level of absences from work and to be thought generally less capable. Such discriminatory attitudes must be set aside. Disabled people are first and foremost people and will have a contribution to make to the professions, not least because of the invaluable problem solving skills they acquire in having to overcome everyday problems that many of us take for granted. Shah's book will hopefully provide inspiration for disabled professional staff, students and service users and show that equality and success are achievable for disabled people.' - Journal of Interprofessional Care 'Practitioners working in many settings with people with dementia are likely to find this book presents new ideas but it would also be relevant to those working in rehabilitation services who do not, as yet, see people with dementia as key "clients".' - Journal of Interprofessional Care 'They are actors, clerics, managers, journalists, financial advisors, instructors, athletes and developers of athletes, and educators. One is a member of parliament. Another is a dancer. Shah (sociology and social policy, Nottingham U.) interviewed 31 successful people with disabilities and found their influences, motivations, goals, and perceptions varied from individual to individual, and depended on family expectations, education, individual personalities, and career choices. She also found they differed in what they perceived to be success, how well their employers treated them, and how they handled failure. Shah's conclusions include the ideas that career development is important, that those who seek suitable role models and coping strategies, and that integration of schools should include everyone.' - Book News 'By examining subjective factors like ambition (determination, response to disability and personal definitions of success) alongside objective measures (educational achievement, social status and financial success), Shah provides a useful framework for us to look at how all disabled people can be integrated into mainstream society... Instructive for anyone who works with disabled people in education, employment and society in general, this book is a through piece of social research.' - Community Care 'This is a detailed and thought-provoking book that looks at the influences on, and the experiences of 31 successful disabled adults. It is the product of a PhD research project and the author herself is a disabled person... Career Success of Disabled High-Flyers should be used to inform educational and employment policy and practice. It provides role models for aspiring young people and other disabled adults and I recommend this book to teachers, guidance providers, employers and in fact anyone who is looking for an intelligent and well researched account of the experience of disabled people and factors relating to their success.' - Newscheck Career Success of Disabled High-Flyers challenges the assumption that disabled employees are a homogenous group and discusses important questions such as: What is disability? How do people with physical impairments define success? Does gender impact in the same way on disabled and non-disabled people's careers? Drawing on in-depth case studies of thirty-one disabled adults who have been successful in their careers, this book suggests that individual traits and patterns of behaviour are key factors in career success, and shows that it is often society rather than impairment that hinders professional progression. Providing role models and valuable insights for young career-minded disabled people, it will also help inform policy and practice in education and training about disability and equality in schools, employment, and society in general. This book is a must-read, not only for people with disabilities, but for teachers, policy-makers, employers and anyone with an interest in disabled people and career development.