Challenge and Success: A Qualitative Study of the Career Development of Highly Achieving Women With Physical and Sensory Disabilities.

This qualitative study examined the career development experiences of 17 highly achieving women with physical and sensory disabilities. Interviews were conducted and data were analyzed using modified grounded theory strategies (A. L. Strauss & J. Corbin, 1998). The emergent theoretical model was conceptualized as a system of influences organized around a core Dynamic Self, which included identity constructs (disability, gender, racial/ethnic/cultural), personality characteristics, and belief in self. Myriad contextual inputs included Developmental Opportunities (education, peer influences), Family Influences (background and current), Disability Impact (ableism, stress and coping, health issues), Social Support (disabled and nondisabled communities, role models and mentors), Career Attitudes and Behaviors (work attitudes, success strategies, leadership/pioneering), and Sociopolitical Context (social movements, advocacy). Implications for theory, research, practice, and policy are discussed.