Advances in Developing Human Resources

Disability issues have long been a topic at the margins of HRD research and have rarely been examined outside the United States context or with a focus on a specific disability type. Additionally, largely due to a homogeneous national culture, people with disabilities in South Korea experience unique barriers in career development.

The authors report the findings of a multiple case study on the career attainment experiences of lawyers with visual impairments in South Korea. Data analyzed from interviews with five participants showed that various individual (perseverance, identity as a person with a visual impairment, self-advocacy, and strategic mindset) and social (family and peer support, reasonable accommodation, precedent, and having a leader with a vision for inclusion) factors contributed to their career attainment.

The findings of this study can aid organizational leaders, hiring managers, HRD practitioners in charge of providing reasonable accommodations, and educators of people with disabilities.

The high rate of disengagement among the workforce affects the overall functioning of the organizations as disengaged employees are not only dissatisfied but can also spread negativity among their fellows. Therefore, there is an emerging need to ascertain how organizations can contribute in reducing such disengagement.

Findings from this study suggests that an organizational environment of respect, trust, forgiveness, and care and concern can solve the problem of disengagement. Such an environment requires management support in creating a culture that recognizes the role of empathy in boosting positive emotions and reducing employees’ negativity.

Human resource development practitioners, researchers, scholars, managers, and others who are interested in pursuing research in this area.