Resources for Business Owners With Disabilities

Resources for business owners with disabilities

If you are a disabled individual who dreams of owning a business, take advantage of helpful guides, grants, programs and loans to make your dream a reality. 

Customized employment

Any person with a disability who has worked in the labor force may be familiar with customized employment (CE). CE starts not with a job description, but by identifying a candidate’s strengths, conditions and interests. After this discovery process, an employer or job counselor can locate a position matching the candidate’s profile.

The same framework can be applied to identifying self-employment opportunities. For inspiration, check out the business success stories of Joe Steffy and Melony Hill below.

Joe Steffy ─ Poppin Joe’s Gourmet Kettle Korn

Steffy has Down syndrome and an autistic spectrum disorder. When Steffy was in his teens, teachers and school administrators didn’t think he’d ever work ─ at best, he’d spend his days at a fully supervised workplace, also known as a sheltered workshop.

Then, Steffy worked with a CE expert and, together, they discovered Steffy’s interest in popping kettle corn. Steffy’s family bought equipment and he began popping and selling kettle corn at local businesses and farmers markets. He started when he was 15 years old and, in three years, Steffy’s sales grew to $50,000 with a staff of five part-time employees. Steffy works five or six hours a day popping corn and delivering it to stores.

As of 2024, Steffy’s popcorn business continues to thrive. He was also the first to use an augmentative and alternative communication device for public speaking to a small business council in Washington, D.C.

Melony Hill ─ Stronger Than My Struggles

Hill, diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, anxiety disorder, dissociative identity disorder and fibromyalgia, launched a successful speaking, writing and coaching business called Stronger Than My Struggles.

A big part of her success came from identifying a profession that worked for her rather than one focused on money. “Instead, I sought to find ways I would feel I was living peacefully and doing things I enjoyed,” Hill said. Now, she teaches others to do the same.

The PASS program

Usually, federal Supplemental Security Income (SSI) payments are reduced or eliminated once the recipient finds a job. However, with the Plan to Achieve Self-Support (PASS) program, SSI recipients who want to start a business can continue accumulating SSI payments. At the same time, they work and use the money to fund their startup.

PASS money can be saved up and set aside to pay for the following:

• Transportation to and from work
• Tuition, books, fees and supplies needed for school or training
• Child care
• Attendant care
• Supplies to start a business
• Equipment and tools to do the job
• Uniforms, special clothing and safety equipment

The Social Security Administration will not count money set aside under this plan when it decides on an SSI payment amount so that recipients may get a higher payment. However, they won’t get more than the maximum payment for the state where they live.

To qualify for PASS, the intended recipient’s net worth must be less than $2,000 ($3,000 for couples). However, assets or equipment used for the business don’t count toward this amount.

PASS participants must get their plan approved by the Social Security Administration. Examples of businesses that have been approved include a carpentry business, a music production business and a candy vending business.

To qualify, recipients must complete paperwork, including creating a business plan. Here’s more about the PASS program:

• PASS: General information about the PASS program from the Social Security Administration
• PASS application: Initial paperwork required by the Social Security Administration

Business plan resources

Every business needs a foundation, solid planning and time to put all the moving pieces together. You must create a business plan, secure funding, network and acquire business skills through experience and training. It may be overwhelming at times but don’t give up. Owning a business can be rewarding and may offer financial independence.

Creating a business plan

Writing a business plan is a requirement of applying for PASS and is a vital step for any business owner. This document outlines the business’s goals and details the steps needed to achieve them.

The plan will include specifics like:

• Equipment needed
• How the business will be promoted
• Anticipated revenue

For business owners with a disability, the plan may also include specifics for their unique situation, such as:

• Flexible work hours
• Assistive technology services and devices
• Bookkeeping services
• Transportation

The Social Security Administration advises that a business plan should include, at a minimum, the following elements:

• The type of business (for example, a restaurant or a print shop)
• Where the business will operate (for example, rent a store or share a space)
• Hours of operation
• Who the customers, suppliers and competitors will be
• How the product or service will be advertised/promoted
• What items and services are required to start the business, how much they cost and how they’ll be paid for
• Expected earnings for the first four years of business

The goal of a business plan isn’t to force a person to prove their idea will work. Instead, it’s to start them on a path to success and many supportive people and organizations can help you design one.

Never give up: How Bill Brent started his business

Take the example of Bill Brent, who suffered a life-changing work injury while working for the Alaska State Ferry system. Brent had given up on his dream of entrepreneurship after being turned down for a business loan. However, he found a support team to help him after being referred to Start Up/AK and the Alaska Division of Vocational Rehabilitation.

Brent met monthly with representatives from a mix of local government and nonprofit agencies and a mentor in the Alaska tourism business. This team helped Brent develop a business plan for the Admiralty Westside Lodge. As a result, he secured a grant for the startup costs.

In addition to PASS, potential business owners with disabilities are eligible for many other forms of funding, from government loans to private investment. A business plan is required for all.

Funding resources

The PASS program is a terrific way to stockpile SSI payments for a business venture. However, people with disabilities who want to pursue self-employment can also take advantage of additional forms of funding.

A local Small Business Development Center is the best place to start. Managed by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), these centers employ folks with local expertise on successful business ventures and available loan programs.

There are thousands of loan programs for small businesses, ranging from loans given out by the federal government to ones offered by counties and towns.

There are also highly rated loan and financing options for specific groups: Veterans, women, people with specific disabilities and many others. That’s why it’s worth talking to the experts at a Small Business Development Center. They can save weeks of research by identifying the best loan resources for a particular person and their business.

State vocational development or vocational rehabilitation offices are also good resources for identifying little-known forms of business funding for people with disabilities.

Service-disabled veterans have additional options for starting a business. The U.S. government has set a target of 3 percent of all federal contracting dollars going to service-disabled, veteran-owned small businesses. In addition, all veterans and their spouses are eligible for low-interest Veterans Advantage Program loans sponsored by the SBA.

Networking and mentorship resources

Personal relationships play a part in everyone’s career. Meeting the right mentor can open the door to self-employment success. Small Business Development Centers and state vocational development offices can often connect aspiring business people with experienced volunteer mentors.

Finding a mentor

Another tactic is simply seeking out a mentor. That happened to Marjorie Turner Hollman, who suffered extensive paralysis after an operation to remove a spinal tumor.

“I turned to writing as a way to help with the isolation I experienced with this drastic life change,” she said. “A wonderful local newspaper editor, Pam Johnson, of the Bellingham Bulletin, gave me the chance to write for her newspaper and has been a mentor to me these past 20 years.”

Freelance writing satisfies Hollman’s creative side and much of her work can be done over the phone or by email. She has since branched out into writing commissioned “life histories” for individuals and organizations, giving workshops in oral history, interviewing and publishing her own books.

Hollman’s book series, “Easy Walks in Massachusetts,” highlights safe, accessible walks for people of all ages and abilities. She has received grants to fund her community writing projects in partnership with a local conservation group.

“I am blessed beyond measure,” she said, “in ways I never could have imagined when this challenging road presented itself to me.”

Business training and education resources

State vocational development offices are the best resources for local skills training. The same skills training that attracts employers could give someone the skills to start a business.

Federal law requires that people with disabilities have equal educational opportunities. Nearly all colleges and universities have an office of disability services to ensure compliance. People with disabilities can qualify for specified scholarships and financial aid opportunities, including some that support vocational education.

However, there is still room for improvement. Resources and mentors for people with disabilities sometimes lack shared experiences with the people they serve. Tanya Valencia, disability advocate and donor CRM expert, expressed her frustration with the lack of fine-tuned tools available for disabled entrepreneurs. 

“Something I would love to see is a network of vetted disabled professionals sharing their own advice,” she explained. “Being able to connect with other disabled entrepreneurs who have been in a similar stage professionally would be infinitely more beneficial to my development than a mentorship from the most prolific business owner who has no clue what my lived experience is actually like.”

Resources for people with visual impairments

With business marketing and communication increasingly occurring online, people with visual impairments face obstacles to business success that didn’t exist a generation ago. Speech-accessible computers can help.

Prospective business owners who are visually impaired should look into Independent Visually Impaired Entrepreneurs, an affiliate of the American Council of the Blind. In addition, Hadley Institute for the Blind and Visually Impaired resources provide a range of workshops, podcasts, discussion groups and tips.

Resources for people with hearing impairments

Video relay services have revolutionized person-to-person communication for business owners with hearing impairments. The technology is improving as is adoption in public areas like airports. Many how-to videos include easily accessible captions.

Still, company owners with hearing impairments face unique challenges. Organizations like the National Association of the Deaf can provide resources and tips about starting and running a business.

Resources for people with mobility issues

The rise of the internet has led to a golden age for home-based businesses. For people with mobility issues, eliminating the need for a daily commute is a powerful incentive to consider self-employment.

Of course, working in the digital world presents its own obstacles. Service Corps of Retired Executives SCORE offers business owners an accessible way to partner with an experienced business mentor. The SCORE website provides a collection of business process articles and webinars to help business owners navigate daily operations. 

Resources for hiring employees with disabilities

Business owners with and without disabilities can utilize a free U.S. federal program called Employer Assistance and Resource Network on Disability Inclusion (EARN). The Department of Labor grant-funded program provides business owners the tools to recruit, hire, retain and advance qualified people with disabilities; build inclusive workplace cultures; and meet diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility (DEIA) goals. Tools include Inclusion@Work Framework, Workplace Mental Health Toolkit, informational webinars, employer tax incentives and specialized training.

“When business owners add disabled employees, all employees feel more seen and heard,” said Jennifer Pawlewicz, development and dissemination team for EARN. “There is a rise in job satisfaction, less turnover, fewer compliance issues and an overall better work culture.” 

EARN has several collaborative partners that work nationally and globally to provide resources regarding disability education and inclusion in the workplace.

Additional business resources from business.com

The business.com team invests thousands of hours reviewing hundreds of products and services to help business owners manage and run their companies. Please look at some of our comprehensive guides for solutions to help you grow your business:

• Payment processing: Review the best options for credit card processors and find a solution that fits your business.
• Completing transactions: There are so many top options for point-of-sale systems that it can be hard to choose, so we’ve broken down everything you need to know.
• Websites: You don’t need a background in technology to choose a web hosting solution for your business. Check out our best picks for website builders and design services.
• Payroll/human resources (HR): Selecting the right HR solutions, such as highly rated small business payroll and top professional employer organization services, doesn’t need to be difficult.
• Communication solutions: Check out the best business phone systems and answering services.

Some source interviews were conducted for a previous version of this article.