The disability community has always had an entrepreneurial spirit. People with disabilities have spent a lifetime navigating a world that was not built for them. This helps them develop strong problem-solving abilities and innovative thinking—skills that make them successful entrepreneurs.
Today, people with disabilities who may have been excluded from the traditional job market find empowerment in entrepreneurship.
In this article, we’ll explore why entrepreneurship is a popular route for many with disabilities, its unique advantages, and some supports and resources available to disabled entrepreneurs.
Overcoming Employment Barriers
Perhaps one of the biggest reasons many people with disabilities pursue entrepreneurship is to overcome the challenges they face in the traditional job market.
Disabled people face a multitude of barriers in the workplace. First, there are attitudinal barriers where employers discriminate against disabled people, assuming they are not good candidates for a job. Then, even once in a role, they may face challenges getting the necessary accommodations to help them perform their work at their best.
Tip: Small Business BC is working to show how small business owners can be more accessible. Check out the Workplace Accessibility Resources portal for more information, including free webinars, guides, and checklists.
Becoming an entrepreneur helps you sidestep these barriers and move towards self-sufficiency and financial independence.
For example, She Sails founder Sinead Sprigg couldn’t work after a traumatic brain injury. No longer able to work her graphic design job and use a computer for eight hours a day, she started a sailing school and now teaches women how to sail.
Flexibility and Freedom
Many entrepreneurs with disabilities love the flexibility and control that entrepreneurship provides. It allows them to create a work environment tailored to their accessibility needs and comfort.
For example, a business owner with ADHD who works from home can use various supports to make spending eight hours a day at a desk more comfortable, from a distraction-free working zone to using a standing desk and walking pad to help focus.
Working flexible hours rather than a traditional nine-to-five is also a huge benefit for people with disabilities.
This flexibility allows people to manage their health conditions and maintain a better work-life balance. Being able to take a midday health appointment or recover when needed is extremely valuable, helping to reduce stress and improve health.
Tip: Inclusive employers who work with their disabled employees to provide accommodations may also have a supportive work environment, but unfortunately, it’s not standard practice yet.
Leveraging Unique Perspectives and Skills
With their unique perspectives, entrepreneurs with disabilities can identify and capitalize on niche markets. Some may even choose to pursue markets that address accessibility and disability-related needs. Many entrepreneurs have taken to consulting and providing their lived experience and learned expertise to companies to help them become more accessible.
For example, entrepreneur Marco Pasqua lives with Cerebral Palsy and is a designated Rick Hansen Foundation Accessibility Certification™ (RHFAC) Professional with 14 years of experience running his accessibility consulting business.
Other entrepreneurs with disabilities may pursue a business that’s a passion project, like Tanya Borisoff and her soap company, Scents of Creativity.
Exploring Entrepreneurship
If you are disabled and interested in entrepreneurship, know that you have unique talents and skills that lend themselves well to entrepreneurship. Work BC provides some great career exploration tools that will help you identify your skills and needs. Before starting your business, you may also want to conduct a SWOT analysis, where you identify your potential company’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats.
For some tips of how to get started in your new venture, check out an article that Melissa Lyon, another disabled entrepreneur, wrote after interviewing other BC entrepreneurs with disabilities: Entrepreneurship for People With Disabilities – Is It For You?. As well, McGill University has created an excellent guide on Self Employment for People With Disabilities.
As you consider your entrepreneurship venture, you may also want to explore possible grant and funding sources. Below are a few places to start your search:
- The Government of BC’s Self-Employment Program (SEP)
- Community Futures Entrepreneurs with Disabilities Program
- Opportunities Fund for Persons With Disabilities
- Open Door Group STRIDES Program
- BC Centre of Ability Opportunities Fund
Whether you start a business to solve a problem that you face or just want an alternative to traditional employment, the opportunities are endless.
Here are some additional resources where you can learn more about disabled entrepreneurship and find support:
Continue your Accessibility Journey with SBBC
Small Business BC is a non-profit resource centre for BC-based small businesses. Our Workplace Accessibility Resources page is full of tips, tools, and more to support your next stage.
This article was developed in consultation with Melissa Lyon of Accessibility & Inclusion Matter Consulting.
We gratefully acknowledge the financial support of the Province of British Columbia through the Ministry of Social Development and Poverty Reduction.
