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Changes in the global marketplace have resulted in companies
downsizing; reengineering; increasing their use of contingent, temporary and
contract employees; eliminating jobs; and implementing new ways to deliver
services and products. The changing employment landscape and the need for more
flexibility in employment has led many to explore self employment or
entrepreneurial opportunities. Being self employed is an option persons with
disabilities may want to consider.
The following success stories feature entrepreneurs with
disabilities whose businesses have proven to be profitable.
Travel Headquarters,
Inc.
Injured at age 16 from a gunshot wound, Heidi VanArnem was
paralyzed from the neck down. She completed high school, college and law
school. Not wishing to pursue a career in law, she tried unsuccessfully to find
a job. Discouraged with employers' reactions to her disability, she launched a
travel business in 1989 in Birmington, MI.
Travel Headquarters, Inc., has grown from a one-person to a
six-person operation and grosses $1.5 million in sales annually. In addition to
successfully managing the travel arrangements for major events, the business
specializes in making travel arrangements for people with disabilities.
Nomad Art Glass
Tiffany-style lamps, door panels, signs and three dimensional
window hangings all attest to the talent and creativity of Russell Jennings,
Jr., a Columbus, OH, resident. Jennings contracted Guillain-Barre Syndrome, a
rare condition that involves weakness of muscles in the upper body, and became
a client of the Ohio Rehabilitation Services Commission (ORSC).
In late 1995, he started Nomad Art Glass from his home. At first,
Jennings' friends and relatives provided word-of- mouth advertising while ORSC
arranged printing of business brochures and cards. His first job was to make
five lampshades for a cocktail lounge. The owner was so pleased he ordered
eight more for another location. Local newspapers mentioned Jennings' work in
reviews of the establishment. Nomad Art Glass is growing and making a
profit.
Fishtales Marine
Consultants
John McKinney was one of the first graduates of Maryland's
Reaching Independence Through Self-Employment (Project RISE) initiative. With
16 years of experience in maintenance and yacht repair, McKinney had attained
the position of foreman, supervising a staff of 28. A serious workplace injury
left him with a severe back injury and unemployed.
Project RISE assisted John by identifying the need for marine
consultants specializing in the maintenance, repair, purchase and use of both
recreational and commercial marine craft. McKinney now operates Fishtales
Marine Consultants with special emphasis on the 3,700+ registered vessels and
30 marinas in Southern Maryland along the Chesapeake Bay.
Lapidary
With the help of his Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor, Charles
Montenaro from Columbus, OH, was able to transform his hobby into a
profit-making venture. As a boy, he collected rocks and fossils. His father,
who repaired watches, introduced him to his acquaintances in the jewelry
business. Montenaro's interest in rocks and stones, coupled with his
familiarity with jewelers, evolved into a lapidary business.
Now Montenaro facets precious and semi-precious gems out of rough
blocks of quartz, topaz, garnet, and ruby."Each stone has a life of its own,"
he says. From the work area in his basement, he communicates via fax with
suppliers and dealers in Thailand, Israel and Africa. His hobby is now a
full-time business which provides a profitable livelihood.
Narrative
Television Network (NTN)
NTN was launched in 1988 from a makeshift sound booth in James
Stovall's basement. The Tulsa, OK, company creates soundtracks describing
actions, settings and other visual elements of film and television programming
to make these media accessible to persons who are blind or have low vision.
Stovall conceived the idea for audio described programming after he lost his
sight at age 29 and found that he could no longer follow a favorite movie. He
consulted technical experts, who discouraged him from pursuing what they
regarded as an impossible venture. Stovall persevered, using equipment borrowed
from a local company and the limited eyesight of partner Kathy Harper, who is
legally blind. Harper labored to watch the television monitor and to write the
scripts for each production. From the scripts, she recited lines to Stovall,
who narrated them between sets of dialogue.
Today, a staff of seven operates NTN, which reaches over 25
million homes around the globe. The network has achieved annual sales in excess
of $6 million.
Nova Sign &
Design
Ed Terranova of Kettering, OH, was an award-winning master sign
maker who hand painted his designs. A stroke left him with limited movement in
his arm and hand and with no business to which to return. After becoming a
customer of Ohio Rehabilitation Services, Terranova was referred to a
self-employment program, where he developed a business plan for a
computer-based design firm. Terranova learned how to create everything from
simple text signs to sophisticated designs. Outgrowing his home, he moved his
business into commercial space and plans on training and hiring persons with
disabilities.
For information on self-employment for persons with disabilities,
contact:
- Small Business Development Centers
(SBDCs)
The centers provide technical assistance to new business
start-ups and expansion of existing businesses. These centers are often funded
in educational institutions. The funding is from the Small Business
Administration (SBA), with a local partner (e.g., chamber of commerce). Contact
your chamber of commerce for the program in your area or visit the Small
Business Administration's Web site at
http://www.sba.gov
- The Office of Disability Employment Policy's Promoting
Small Business and Self-Employment Opportunities for People with Disabilities
project
(202) 693-7880 (V), (202) 693-7881 (TTY),
InfoODEP@dol.gov (E-mail)
The goal of this project is to identify, on a national level,
appropriate resources for planning, training, technical assistance, and capital
development for individuals with disabilities who wish to start or expand their
own businesses.
- Rehabilitation Services Administration
(RSA)
(202) 205-8719 (V)
The Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA) oversees
programs that help individuals with physical or mental disabilities obtain
employment through the provision of such supports as counseling, medical and
psychological services, job training, and other individualized services. RSA's
major formula grant program provides funds to state vocational rehabilitation
agencies to provide employment-related services for individuals with
disabilities. State and local vocational rehabilitation agencies are listed
under state government agencies in the telephone directory.
- Yahoo Search Engine on Small Business Start-up
Opportunities
http://www.yahoo.com/Business-and-Economy-Small-Business-Information
(Internet)
This Internet site features a nationwide service listing over
138 business start-up Web sites.
July 1998 |
