Prosocial behaviors and career aspirations of employed persons with disabilities (PWDs) in Metro Manila

Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) in the Philippines are recognized and protected by various laws, such as the Republic Act No. 7277 or the Republic Magna Carta for Disabled Persons, which acknowledges their rights and privileges to employment. However, despite government efforts to promote inclusive hiring, PWDs still face challenges in their careers, particularly in their growth and aspirations. The researchers conducted a qualitative-descriptive study on the prosocial behavior of 14 employed PWDs in Metro Manila, focusing on their background characteristics, prosocial behavior, and career aspirations. Results showed that their background characteristics, including age, gender, and nature of work, positively contributed to their willingness to enact prosocial behavior at work. However, no significant findings were found in their age and gender due to inclusivity and support from their current organizations. Moreover, PWDs are also found to be keen on leadership roles as they are confident in handling projects and leading a team despite their limitations. While some of them still experience doubts about their capabilities, findings revealed that it never affected their performance at work. Furthermore, out of all the career aspirations domain, leadership was seen as the most prominent as it varies according to their prosocial behaviors. While all domains from the prosocial behavior contributed to leadership development, the comforting domain stood out as the most influential in their career aspirations. This shows that those with higher leadership roles have higher comforting tendencies towards their co-workers. The findings gave a wider understanding of how PWDs behave and aspire in the workplace, and certain recommendations regarding the scope, type of population, and other domains of prosocial behavior were raised by the researchers.