Australia's disability entrepreneurial ecosystem: experiences of people with disability with microenterprises, self-employment and entrepreneurship

People with disability (PwD) face great difficulty in getting access to the Australian economy. PwD have high unemployment rates while those who do get jobs often find them unsatisfactory. Establishing a business is one strategy to overcome these economic barriers. This report presents the findings of the first detailed research project on PwD self-employed entrepreneurs in Australia.

Key findings from this research include: (1) Education: entrepreneurs with disability lamented a lack of entrepreneurial education that may have alleviated common startup mistakes, costing them money, time and emotional energy. When schemes including incubator and accelerator programs are available and accessible, entrepreneurs with disability are likely to benefit. However, mainstream entrepreneurial training programs are not inclusive of disability type nor the level of support needs of EWD; (2) Networking: respondents commented on the difficulty of networking generally, and specifically with other entrepreneurs with disability (EwD); (3) Government social services and bureaucracy: government policies may stifle entrepreneurial activity among those with disability; (4) Culture and attitudes: discrimination in mainstream employment or blocked mobility may push PwD toward self-employment and entrepreneurship. Yet, other barriers may constrain EwD from fostering relationships with consumers, contractors, funders, and other key individuals. Challenging social attitudes about the ability of self-employed and entrepreneurial PwD is required to provide a more level playing field in business for EwD; (5) Importance of family and friendship units: key individuals in the lives of PwD provide support at many levels and are integral in their entrepreneurial journeys, especially so for people pursuing micro-enterprise activities. Many of the cultural, structural and attitudinal barriers experienced by PwD are overcome with support from immediate family, friends and carers; and (6) Financial support: making sure that PwD do not fall into further hardship is crucial in order to foster entrepreneurship in this cohort. Startup progress is contingent on the combination of the human, social and financial capital available for their enterprise. Human and social capital affect access to financial capital. Knowledge and access to mainstream funding opportunities such as in-kind business development, seed funding, grants, angel investors, venture capital, crowd funding or loans should be further developed to support aspiring entrepreneurs with disability.

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