Career Construction for Hephapreneurship1: Alternative Framework for Persons with Disabilities2

Abstract

This article presents Career Construction for Hephapreneurship (CCH) and creates a roadmap of career choice/construction by people with disabilities, henceforth referred to as differently abled persons. The expression “differently abled persons” is a near-synonym of ‘persons with disabilities’. In this article, the idea of differently abled persons emphasises ‘positive difference’ and abilities instead of disabilities. The development of CCH was grounded in literature as well as the experiences of differently abled persons. A search for conceptual frameworks addressing career choice/construction by differently abled persons revealed gaps. This article outlines features of CCH constituting limited career choice, opportunities to learn, hephapreneurship and policy development. Particular emphasis is placed on the framework providing viable ways of assisting differently abled persons to participate actively in the world of work. The advantages of the framework centre on advocacy, policy influence and sparking further research on career construction and disability. The development of hephapreneurship is also possible.

DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2014.v5n15p303