The idea of a self-employment program targeted at people with disabilities originated with Iowa's Systems Change Congress, an annual gathering of consumers, family members, advocates, state policymakers and lawmakers, agency officials, and others. The Systems Change Congress assembles each year to review and draft legislation and policy initiatives. The goal is to obtain sponsorship of bills to be considered by the Iowa General Assembly.

The Systems Change Congress recommended legislation to create the Entrepreneurs with Disabilities (EWD) program to provide technical assistance, business development grants, and financial assistance to qualified Iowans. The legislation that authorized the EWD program and funding was enacted in 1994.

Although the law provided a blueprint for the program, structural details and guidelines were crafted later by agency officials using the administrative rulemaking process. This approach allowed for the partnering of several Iowa state agencies to maintain flexibility in maximizing the services available to consumers. It also allowed use of local service delivery systems to support the mission of the statewide mandate.

The EWD program was established as a partnership among the Iowa Department of Economic Development (IDED), the Iowa Department of Education's Division of Vocational Rehabilitation Services (DVRS), and the Iowa Department for the Blind (IDB). Funding for the EWD program has ranged from approximately $500,000 to $700,000 per year. Approximately 20% of the budget is used for operating costs. The remaining 80% is used to furnish technical and financial assistance to the participants. State funds from the Department of Economic Development are appropriated to match federal Vocational Rehabilitation funds under Title I of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.

Why Microenterprise for People with Disabilities?

For many years, self-employment for individuals with disabilities has mistakenly been seen as an oxymoron- by both individuals with disabilities and the rehabilitation professionals who serve them. Just like everyone else, individuals with disabilities are susceptible to common myths and stereotypes about the abilities of people with disabilities. This low ceiling of expectations often squelches entrepreneurial thinking. However, when self-employment is presented as a vocational option in a supportive environment, for many individuals with disabilities it can be the most direct route to social and economic empowerment.

Microenterprise offers an individual the flexibility they need to accommodate a disabling condition. A unique coalition of non-profit microenterprise experts at the Abilities Fund, a Vocational Rehabilitation system that prioritizes self employment options, and a cadre of researchers at the University of Iowa focusing on innovative service delivery mechanisms, has created a powerful collaboration to support the economic empowerment of people with disabilities.

Resources:

A Market of Millions: Microenterprise Services for Entrepreneurs with Disabilities
Association for Enterprise Opportunity and The Abilities Fund (2003).
http://www.dvrs.state.ia.us/02-27-04-a-market-of-millions2.pdf

The Emerging Workforce of Entrepreneurs with Disabilities: Preliminary Study of Entrepreneurship in Iowa
Peter D. Blanck, Leonard A. Sandler, James L. Schmeling, Helen A. Schartz
85 Iowa L. Rev. 1691 (2000).
http://disability.law.uiowa.edu/lhpdc/publications/moreinfo/entrepIA.html