Entrepreneurship among People with Disabilities

This brief paper reviews the literature on entrepreneurship among people with disabilities. It notes that entrepreneurship by individuals with disabilities is often a consequence of disability discrimination in the workforce and provides both benefits and disadvantages such as independence and freedom from access-related obstacles (benefits) and loss of benefits and inability to access venture capital (disadvantages). A survey of self-employed people with disabilities found 91 percent enjoyed operating a business, that 56 percent described their business as successful, and that 30 percent said their businesses supplied more than half of their total household income. Other findings indicate that some disabled entrepreneurs find a niche market in serving the needs of people with disabilities. Resources for entrepreneurs with disabilities are listed with an emphasis on Internet resources. (DB)