Disabled Entrepreneurs Self-employment pushed as option for the disabled

The nonemployment rate of adults with severe disabilities isaround 70 percent, according to the Presidential Task Force onEmployment of Adults with Disabilities. Now there is a growingmovement to prepare these Americans for self-employment. Severalnew resources available include:

Alice Weiss Doyel's book, No More Job Interviews! Self-EmploymentStrategies for People With Disabilities (Training ResourceNetwork Inc.), gives potential entrepreneurs a one-stop resource.In addition to case studies of business owners with disabilities,the book provides resources, debunks the myths about the businesscapabilities of the disabled, and offers information on availableconsulting services.

In Irvine, California, the Self-Employment of the EnterprisingDisabled Institute (S.E.E.D.) has created an online home-studyprogram at www.seedinstitute.org designedto help people with disabilities start businesses at their ownpace. S.E.E.D. is a nonprofit organization that helps individualsstart businesses and find funding. In addition to onlineinstruction, the institute offers individualized assistance frombusiness counselors. While charges range from $10 to $35 per hour,S.E.E.D. offers scholarships to help defray the cost.