The Need for Disabled Owned Businesses

Now is the time to establish, fund, and promote Disabled Owned Businesses. Most of the advocacy has centered on improving employment opportunities and the financial health of people with disabilities. Despite having many excellent government and non-profit agencies working extremely hard on this, the sad reality is that this cohort's unemployment rate has remained at approximately 70% throughout my lifetime. The Disability Movement has made extraordinary progress in many areas, including ensuring accessibility of the physical environment, better education for children with disabilities, and ending institutionalization. Improving the financial health of most people with disabilities remains elusive. The current economic depression promises to worsen this. 

 

Over 99 percent of America's 28.7 million firms are small businesses. The vast majority (88 percent) of employer firms have fewer than 20 employees, and nearly 40 percent of all enterprises have under $100k in revenue. Almost half of all employees work for small businesses. 15% of small businesses are minority-owned. A quick Google search for lists by minority-owned enterprises resulted in  

1. Women-Owned Businesses 

2. Black-Owned Businesses 

3.  LBTQ-Owned-Businesses   

4. Hispanic-owned Businesses 

5. Veteran-Owned Businesses. (includes service-disabled veterans) 

6. Deaf-Owned-Businesses   

 

 Other than these, there is no publicly available list of disabled or disability-owned companies. Disability: In has a comprehensive process for certifying Disabled Owned Business Enterprise. The list they maintain is only available to corporate sponsors of their agency. Researching funding sources for minority-owned enterprises, I found 

1.   Black Angel Tech Fund  

2.   Pipeline Angels (women) 

3.   Back Stage Capital (Women, People-of-Color, and LGBT-owned startups) 

4.   Digital Undivided (Black and Latinx-owned startups) 

5.   Founders First Capital Partners (women, minority groups, and military veterans) 

6.   Communication Services for the Deaf Social Venture Fund 

 

Except for service-disabled veterans and people who are Deaf, there are no funds aimed at assisting entrepreneurs with disabilities. Some programs teach people with disabilities to start and manage their businesses  

1. Chicagoland Entrepreneurship Education for People with Disabilities  

2. National Center for Disability Entrepreneurship  

3. Gallaudet Innovation & Entrepreneurship Institute 

 

I encourage people with disabilities to take advantage of the resources listed. 

It is one of my retirement priorities to help start a Disability-Owned Business Network. Please look at that link, give me feedback, and let me know if you have any questions.