The DOI matches its Crossref record; 29 of the 32 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
‘Just because you can get a wheelchair in the building doesn't necessarily mean that you can still participate’: barriers to the career advancement of disabled professionals
Abstract
Despite governmental efforts and organizational initiatives, the number of disabled professionals in full‐time employment is small, and the number of those occupying leadership positions remains even smaller. Past research into disability and employment has outlined a range of barriers that disabled people face in seeking and maintaining employment. Yet, not enough is known about the challenges they encounter in top ranking appointments. This article extends Ryan's and Haslam's notion of the glass cliff to help explain the precariousness experienced by a group of disabled employees in leadership positions – focusing on the nature of the positions they hold and the difficulties they encounter as they attempt to advance their careers. Using qualitative interview data the analysis draws attention to problems associated with lack of opportunity, lack of resources and lack of support. It also point to ways of making workplace cultures and organizational practices more supportive of diversity.
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In the citing paper
“both employers (Kaye et al., 2011) and employees with disabilities (Wilson-Kovacs, Ryan, Haslam, & Rabinovich, 2008) report employers’ lack of disability-related knowledge, which has implications for their behavior”
From The Participation of People with Disabilities in the Workplace Across the Employment Cycle: Employer Concerns and Research Evidence (2020) · cites this paper as Wilson-Kovacs et al., 2008
In the citing paper
“It has been suggested that even if people with disabilities eventually make it into applicant pools, hiring managers might incorrectly assume that these applicants do not want challenging careers or assignments”
From The Participation of People with Disabilities in the Workplace Across the Employment Cycle: Employer Concerns and Research Evidence (2020) · cites this paper as Wilson-Kovacs et al., 2008
In the citing paper
“Indeed, many employers acknowledge that they lack the necessary training at all stages of the employment relationship (Kaye et al., 2011; Wilson-Kovacs et al., 2008).”
From The Participation of People with Disabilities in the Workplace Across the Employment Cycle: Employer Concerns and Research Evidence (2020) · cites this paper as Wilson-Kovacs et al., 2008
In the citing paper
“Furthermore, managers often report knowledge gaps on accommodation best practices and understanding of the disability experience (Kaye et al., 2011; Wilson-Kovacs et al., 2008).”
From The Participation of People with Disabilities in the Workplace Across the Employment Cycle: Employer Concerns and Research Evidence (2020) · cites this paper as Wilson-Kovacs et al., 2008
In the citing paper
“Furthermore, employees with disabilities report that legal action occurs typically after other attempts at receiving reasonable accommodation have failed and that legal actions are a result of a lack of organizational-level knowledge on how to best support the careers of people with disabilities (Wilson-Kovacs et al., 2008).”
From The Participation of People with Disabilities in the Workplace Across the Employment Cycle: Employer Concerns and Research Evidence (2020) · cites this paper as Wilson-Kovacs et al., 2008
Citations
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The Glass Cliff: Evidence that Women are Over‐Represented in Precarious Leadership Positions
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Self-citationDisabling Barriers-Enabling Environments
Shakespeare, T. (1994) · Disability & Society · doi:10.1080/09687599466780121 · Cited by 976
Ryan, M. K., & Haslam, S. A. (2007) · Academy of Management Review · doi:10.5465/amr.2007.24351856 · Cited by 938
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Flagged first, then by citations
3 of the 32 references couldn’t be matched to a known paper.
Research works printed but not linked: 6
- Glaser B.G., 1967, The discovery of grounded theory
- Mowry R.L., 1993, The Volta Review, 95, 367
- Prime Minister's Strategy Unit, 2005, Improving the life chances of disabled people
- Ryan M.K., 2007, The glass cliff: Precariousness beyond the glass ceiling, a CIPD Executive Briefing
- 10.2307/258666 · DOI · Paper page
- Stuart N., 2002, How employers and service providers are responding to the Disability Discrimination Act 1995
Cited by
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Hvordan kan tjenesteytere bidra tilå bygge ned funksjonshemmende barrierer?
Owren, T. (2019) · Tidsskrift for omsorgsforskning · doi:10.18261/issn.2387-5984-2019-01-05
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Κουτουβέλη, Χ., Παρούση, Α. Σ., & Σβυρινάκη, Α. (2020) · Πανελλήνιο Συνέδριο Επιστημών Εκπαίδευσης · doi:10.12681/edusc.3140
Supported Employment: A Case Study to Highlight Experiences and to Inform Support Practices
Bend, G. L. (2020) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-3-030-42966-9_10
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A Misfits Perspective: The Lived Experiences of Mothers of Disabled Children
Warden, K. (2021) · Scholars' Bank (University of Oregon)
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Transition Requires Collaboration
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Adjusting to Disability: Navigating the Progression of Hearing Loss Disability With Self-Compassion
Schill, A., Bojovic, N., Kraak, J. M., & Peticca‐Harris, A. (2025) · Group & Organization Management · doi:10.1177/10596011251328429
Social acceptance and employment policy of people with disabilities in Greece
Vouglanis, T., & Karagianni, V. (2025) · Magna Scientia Advanced Research and Reviews · doi:10.30574/msarr.2025.13.2.0052
Gilbert, L. (2025) · Emerald Group Publishing Limited eBooks · doi:10.1108/s1479-354720250000016013
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Progressive disability and shifting employment opportunities: conceptualizing the disability detour
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Plavsic, A., Estreder, Y., Fajardo-Castro, L. V., Moliner, C., & Martínez‐Tur, V. (2026) · Intellectual and developmental disabilities · doi:10.1080/19349491.2026.2682767
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Atkins, C. G. K., & Avakumovic-Pointon, I. (2026) · Disability & Society · doi:10.1080/09687599.2026.2723724
Hazır, O. (2026) · Disability & Society · doi:10.1080/09687599.2026.2753111
Metadata
- Authors
- Wilson‐Kovacs, D., Ryan, M. K., Haslam, S. A., & Rabinovich, A.
- Affiliations
- University of Exeter (GB)
- Corresponding author
- Wilson‐Kovacs, Dana
- Venue
- Disability & Society
- Publisher
- Informa UK Limited
- Published
- 2008-12
- Volume
- 23
- Issue
- 7
- Pages
- 705-717
- ISSN
- 0267-4645 (ISSN-L)
- 0968-7599
- 1360-0508
- OpenAlex
- W2081121618
- Cited by
- 128
- References
- 32
- Citations by year
- 2026: 11 · 2025: 8 · 2024: 9 · 2023: 9 · 2022: 6 · 2021: 6 · 2020: 13 · 2019: 13 · 2018: 6 · 2017: 5 · 2016: 12 · 2015: 5 · 2014: 7 · 2013: 8 · 2012: 2
- FWCI
- 7.52
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Disability & Society (publishedVersion)
- ANU Open Research (Australian National University) (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- European Social Fund
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Education › Disability Education and Employment
- Social Sciences › Gender Studies › Gender Diversity and Inequality
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Disability Rights and Representation
- Keywords
- career development, glass cliff, leadership roles, disability and employment, workplace barriers, organizational culture
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