Self-Employment 

for People with Disabilities 

December 15, 2013 
 

 

 

 

This document was produced under U.S. Department of Labor Contract No. 

GS-10F-0042M, BPA No. DOLQ089427777, Task Order No. DOLU119432528, by 

Economic Systems Incorporated. The findings and conclusions in this document are 

those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the funding agency. 

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Table of Contents
 

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ............................................................................................................1
 

1. INTRODUCTION...................................................................................................................3
 

Background........................................................................................................................................3
 

1. Self-Employment ....................................................................................................................3
 

2. Congress Establishes a National Initiative on Self-Employment for People with
 

Disabilities.....................................................................................................................................3
 

3. Self-Employment Among People with Disabilities.........................................................4
 

2. KEY ELEMENTS OF THE ODEP START-UP GRANTS.....................................................7
 

One National Technical Assistance Center and Three State Grantees..................................7
 

1. The START-UP National Technical Assistance Center (START-UP/USA)................7
 

2. The Three State Grants ..........................................................................................................8
 

3. START-UP Initiative in Alaska (START-UP/Alaska).......................................................8
 

4. START-UP Initiative in Florida (START-UP/Florida)......................................................9
 

5. START-UP Initiative in New York (START-UP/New York).......................................10
 

3. OUTCOMES AND IMPACTS ............................................................................................12
 

Context and Legacies of START-UP...........................................................................................12
 

1. The Context for START-UP Self-Employment Outcomes...........................................12
 

2. START-UP Accomplishments............................................................................................15
 

3. Outcomes for Entrepreneurs..............................................................................................20
 

4. Evidence of Impacts on People with Disabilities ...........................................................21
 

5. Evidence of Broader Impacts..............................................................................................21
 

4. SELF-EMPLOYMENT SUCCESS STORIES FROM THE DEMONSTRATIONS ......26
 

START-UP/Alaska Entrepreneurs ..............................................................................................26
 

Elizabeth’s Story—Occupational Therapist .........................................................................26
 

Jacquelyn’s Story—Dog Breeding and Grooming..............................................................26
 

Roberta's Story—Self-Employment Counseling .................................................................27
 

START-UP/Florida Entrepreneurs..............................................................................................27
 

Ren’s Story—Fly Fishing Equipment ....................................................................................27
 

START-UP/New York Entrepreneurs........................................................................................28
 

Greg's Story—Automotive Repair.........................................................................................28
 

Stella's Story—Restaurant........................................................................................................28
 

MJ's Story—Photography ........................................................................................................29
 

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5.	 POLICY AND SYSTEMS BARRIERS AND FACILITATORS OF THE TESTED
 

INTERVENTIONS................................................................................................................30
 

Expected Barriers............................................................................................................................30
 

Unexpected Barriers.......................................................................................................................31
 

6.	 RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE FUTURE...................................................................32
 

Policy Alignment............................................................................................................................32
 

Cross System Collaboration .........................................................................................................33
 

Public-Private Sector Investment ................................................................................................34
 

7.	 CONCLUSION......................................................................................................................36
 

8. APPENDICES........................................................................................................................37
 

Appendix 1. START-UP/USA WEBCAST SERIES.................................................................38
 

Appendix 2. START-UP/USA FACT SHEETS........................................................................40
 

Appendix 3. START-UP/USA SELF-EMPLOYMENT ONLINE COURSE ......................41
 

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
 

During periods of unemployment, whether due to economic downturns, job loss or ongoing barriers to 

employment, self-employment is a viable means to provide income, assets and other elements of self-sufficiency. 

The Workforce Investment !ct (WI!), which authorizes DOL’s American Job Centers (AJCs) (formerly known as 

One-Stop Career Centers), makes numerous references to self-employment and in fact lists self-employment as 

an exit outcome for individuals receiving services authorized by WIA. 

Congress provided $5,000,000 in the FY 2006 appropriation for the Department of Labor’s Office of Disability 

Employment Policy (ODEP) to develop research-based policy and provide technical assistance to organizations 

geared toward achieving sustainable self-employment outcomes for individuals with disabilities. Reflecting this, in 

October 2006 ODEP initiated the Self-Employment Technical Assistance, Resources and Training (START-UP) selfemployment program. Four cooperative agreements were awarded to three state or local projects (STARTUP/Alaska, START-UP/Florida and START-UP/New York) and one national project (START-UP/USA), which was 

implemented by a consortium headed by Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU). The goals of each of the three 

state consortia were to research, test and evaluate innovative models of self-employment service delivery at the 

sub-national level to determine if those models could be replicated across the country. The goal of the national 

project was to provide technical assistance to the three state grantees and individuals interested in becoming selfemployed, as well as to increase other states’ capacity to support potential entrepreneurs with disabilities 

through information provision and research. 

Each state grantee developed a different model for delivering assistance and training to potential entrepreneurs 

with disabilities. Although these models shared a common goal, they differed in elements such as the partners 

included in their collaborative work groups, types of training provided to front-line staff, and methods of direct 

service provision. 

START-UP/New York developed a broad network of 55 partners and collaborators, including the program 

management team; research universities and colleges; financial institutions; disability service agencies at 

the county, state and national levels; and technology and economic development agencies. New York also 

used a business incubator, in collaboration with the state vocational rehabilitation (VR) agency and local 

Small Business Development Center (SBDC), to provide advice and training to program participants, 

including continued follow-up after business launch. Furthermore, START-UP/New York developed a course, 

entitled “Inclusive Entrepreneurship,” which is now being offered through Syracuse University’s Whitman 

School of Management to educate both graduate and undergraduate students about the issues that people 

with disabilities face when they seek entrepreneurship. Students taking the course are assigned to 

consulting teams to provide assistance to program participants. 

START-UP/!laska's consortium included the state’s VR program, AJCs and SBDCs, among others. Using a 

customized self-employment model, the program operated three sites based in AJCs and used a Virtual 

Business Advisor to provide services and support to program participants in remote areas of the state using 

electronic tools. 

START-UP/Florida's consortium included the Florida workforce system (Workforce Florida, Inc. and the 

Agency for Workforce Innovation), the Agency for Persons with Disabilities and the Department of 

Education, Division of Vocational Rehabilitation. The program tested three self-employment training 

models at three sites around the state. One training model was developed by the faculty from Martin 

County Public Schools, another by the University of South Florida and the third by a nationally recognized 

entrepreneurial training program. The state VR agency developed and implemented a vendor training and 

certification program for self-employment. Individuals who successfully completed training became 

Certified Business and Technical Assistance Consultants. 

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Even though they faced multiple barriers within their states, all three states exceeded their expectations 

regarding the number of entrepreneurs who would start businesses. Overall, the states had varied levels of 

success in developing a self-employment infrastructure and increasing capacity for serving potential 

entrepreneurs with disabilities. 

The national grantee, START-UP/USA, provided intense technical assistance to and collected outcome data 

from the three state grantees. It also provided technical assistance to individual potential entrepreneurs 

through its website, webinars, fact sheets and case studies. It reported that several other states requested 

information about starting their own self-employment programs. To assist, START-UP/USA developed an 

online training course titled "Overview of Self-Employment for Entrepreneurs with Disabilities," which 

continues to be available. 

Success stories shared by entrepreneurs from the state and national initiatives provide insight into the 

issues and methods used to assist them in starting a business. Furthermore, policy and system barriers 

arose that were both expected and unexpected as the initiative began. Expected barriers included negative 

attitudes and views of service providers, lack of technical knowledge of program participants, inconsistent 

performance expectations, policies that created financial disincentives, complicated work incentives and 

funding challenges. Unexpected challenges included views and attitudes from the participants (jobseekers 

with disabilities) as well as language and communication. 

Recommendations developed in response to the barriers experienced by the grantees during the period of the 

grants address policy alignment, cross-system collaboration and public-private sector investment. 

This report is intended to help policy makers, workforce development professionals and people with disabilities 

view self-employment as a viable source of income for people with disabilities. With adherence to 

recommendations and support from all stakeholders both within the varying levels of government as well as 

community partners, individuals with disabilities can successfully start and maintain their own businesses and 

reap the benefits of self-employment. 

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1. INTRODUCTION 

Background 

1. Self-Employment 

Many Americans are the descendants of people who came to the United States from across the globe to realize 

opportunity and exercise freedom. Steeped in the spirit of independence, the earliest Americans were selfemployed, primarily in agriculture. However, as the nation’s economic base shifted from farming to 

manufacturing and then on to the “Information !ge,” the nature of employment in !merica did as well, with 

wage employment replacing self-employment as the primary means of livelihood. 

Yet, America continues to be associated the world over with the spirit of self-determination that embodies its 

roots as an entrepreneurial, self-reliant society. Furthermore, in economic downturns, job loss and lack of 

employment opportunities may produce additional incentive to pursue self-employment for people in a variety of 

situations and circumstances. 

People with disabilities demonstrate the same passion, independence and self-direction as all Americans, and 

given certain characteristics—including being on average older and less educated—it is not surprising that the 

rate of self-employment for people with disabilities in the labor force in 2011 was about 50 percent higher than 

the corresponding rate for people without disabilities. In 2011, among employed individuals, a higher proportion 

of those with disabilities were unincorporated self-employed (11.8 percent) than individuals without disabilities 

(6.6 percent).1 

 

2.	 Congress Establishes a National Initiative on Self-Employment for People with 

Disabilities 

Congress provided $5,000,000 in the FY 2006 appropriation for the Department of Labor’s (DOL) Office of 

Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) to develop research-based policy and provide technical assistance to 

organizations geared toward achieving sustainable self-employment outcomes for individuals with disabilities. 

(See Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 

2006, Public Law 109–149, Title I, 119 Stat. 2833, 2841 (2005); H.R. Conf. Rep. No. 109–300, at 59 (2005); S. Rep. 

No.109–103, at 26 (2005)). Previously, the Presidential Task Force on Employment of Adults with Disabilities 

(Executive Order 13078, 1998) had also encouraged self-employment. Furthermore, the Workforce Investment 

Act (WIA) and other federal programs that serve people with disabilities include self-employment as an outcome, 

but no prior federal initiative actively targeted self-employment as an outcome specifically for people with 

disabilities. The Senate Appropriations Committee Report provided the rationale for START-UP, stating: 

The Committee is aware of the outstanding success of national non-profits working to increase selfemployment among people with disabilities. Self-employment can provide income, assets and other 

elements of self-sufficiency to people with disabilities who are hard to place in traditional work 

environments, because of the flexibility inherent in self-employment. In addition to the direct benefit to 

the business owner, and the savings to the Social Security Disability Income (SSDI) program 

resulting from self-employment, preliminary data suggest that business owners with disabilities are 

far more likely to hire other people with disabilities as their businesses expand. 

Within the funds provided for ODEP, the Committee has included $5,000,000 for a national initiative 

focusing on self-employment as an option for people with disabilities. As the centerpiece of this new 

1 http://www.bls.gov/news.release/disabl.t04.htm. 

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initiative, the Committee has included $3,000,000 to assist state job training institutions, WIA one 

stops, Small Business Administration (SBA) small business development centers, the vocational 

rehabilitation and employment services of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), state and tribal 

Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) agencies and other related programs in implementing effective and 

accessible practices for achieving sustainable self-employment outcomes for individuals with 

disabilities. Practices should include, but not be limited to, providing public education, training, 

technical assistance and accessible online and print resources with the purpose of advancing selfemployment opportunities for Americans with disabilities. The Committee directs that, in making the 

national technical assistance grant, priority be given to national non-profits with experience in 

delivering direct consumer services, as well as training, to public and private agencies. The remainder 

of the funds in the initiative should be used to undertake a thorough analysis of the structures 

currently in place that either promote or impede the expansion of business ownership in the disability 

community.2 

Based on this Congressional directive, START-UP was funded by ODEP in October 2006. Three separate START-UP 

demonstration cooperative agreement grants were awarded to consortia in Alaska, Florida, and New York, and 

one national-scale Self-Employment Technical Assistance, Resources and Training technical assistance center 

(START-UP/USA) cooperative agreement was awarded to a consortium headed by Virginia Commonwealth 

University (VCU). The goals of each of the three state consortia were to research, test, and evaluate innovative 

models of self-employment service delivery at the sub-national level to determine if those models could be 

adopted across the country. START-UP USA had four goals: 1) develop research-based policy, 2) provide technical 

assistance to the three state and local START-UP projects, 3) provide direct technical assistance to individual 

aspiring entrepreneurs from across the country to assist them to meet their self-employment goals, and 4) 

provide technical assistance to related systems that could implement practices for achieving sustainable selfemployment outcomes for people with disabilities. 

3. Self-Employment Among People with Disabilities 

Self-employment allows people to customize their work experiences specifically to their needs and to design a 

work environment that optimizes flexibility and accommodation. Several public programs support employment 

preparation and work incentives to achieve self-sufficiency. Although limited, available statistics indicate that 

there has been little engagement by public programs to help people with disabilities explore self- employment as 

a viable work option. Prior to START-UP, several federal programs acknowledged self- employment as an outcome 

for people both with and without disabilities, but with few exceptions,3 it is fair to say that not many programs 

specifically promoted self-employment. 

The WIA, which authorizes DOL’s American Job Centers (AJCs) (formerly known as One-Stop Career Centers), 

makes numerous references to self-employment. In fact, self-employment, entrepreneurship and small 

2 Senate Report Rep. No. 109–103, at 26 (2005). 3

Project GATE (Growing America Through Entrepreneurship) was initiated in 2003 to help emerging entrepreneurships create, sustain and/or 

expand their existing small business. To help emerging entrepreneurs, Project GATE teamed ETA training and assistance programs with 

economic development entities, such as local Small Business Development Centers (SBDCs), women's business development centers, local 

chambers of commerce, entrepreneurial service providers and small business loan providers. The success of the original Project Gate led ETA 

to award four new Project GATE II grants in 2008 for the extension of the Project GATE model to federal dislocated workers in rural areas and 

over the age of 45. The evaluation, available at 

http://wdr.doleta.gov/research/FullText_Documents/Findings%20from%20the%20Evaluation%20of%20Project%20GATE%20Report.pdf 

found that Project GATE increased the probability of owning a business in the first few quarters after random assignment. Impacts were 

stronger for participants receiving unemployment insurance (UI) at the time of random assignment than for the full sample. In the 1990s, 

Congress authorized the Self-Employment Assistance (SEA) initiative which resulted in participants being 19 times more likely to be selfemployed at any time after their spell of unemployment than nonparticipants. The evaluation report is available at 

http://wdr.doleta.gov/research/keyword.cfm?fuseaction=dsp_puListingDetails&pub_id=2293&mp=y&start=121&sort=7. 

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businesses are mentioned in WIA, as amended, in several titles and sections: definitions; migrant and seasonal 

farm workers programs; demonstration, pilot, multi-service research, and multi-state projects; employment 

statistics; people with significant disabilities; VR services for individuals and groups; research; special projects and 

demonstrations; and provider and individual training. Furthermore, self-employment is an allowed exit outcome 

for individuals receiving services authorized by WIA. In 2010, the Employment and Training Administration (ETA) 

issued guidance on self-employment to state and local workforce agencies and rapid response coordinators.4 But 

the proportion of AJC exiters who entered self-employment is unknown. AJCs report outcomes as employment of 

any type, with no distinction between self-employment and wage employment. 

In 2011, ETA reported that 4.3 percent of all 2010 WIA exiters disclosed disabilities, and 3 percent who exited for 

employment reported disabilities.5 ETA reported that less than 1 percent of WIA exiters in 2010 received 

entrepreneurial training,6 suggesting that a very small percentage of all exiters (with and without disclosed 

disabilities) prepared for self-employment. 

The Social Security Administration (SSA) sponsors work incentive programs to encourage employment of people 

with disabilities who receive Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) due 

to disability. SS!’s Plan to Achieve Self-Support (PASS)

7 and Ticket to Work8 incentive programs include selfemployment as an outcome for people with disabilities, but available data suggest self-employment is an 

infrequent outcome for program exiters. 

ETA sponsored a study that matched AJC clients in four states (Colorado, Iowa, Maryland, and Oregon) with SSI 

and SSDI records to find out what proportion received SSA disability benefits (information not routinely recorded 

by AJCs). In Program Years 2002–2007, in all four states, only 2-4 percent of AJC users were SSA beneficiaries 

when they registered for services; slightly higher percentages (3 -6 percent) had once been SSA beneficiaries.9 

Despite these low percentages, AJCs served a substantial percentage of all SSA beneficiaries actively seeking 

employment (26 percent in Iowa and Colorado). These percentages are similar to, or much greater than, the 

percentage of SSA beneficiaries receiving employment services from vocational rehabilitation (VR) agencies in the 

same states. 

People with disabilities may prepare for employment through their state VR programs, funded by the 

Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA) in the Department of Education. RSA collects data on self4 Training and Employment Guidance Letter 12-10, issued November 15, 2010. Available at 

http://wdr.doleta.gov/directives/attach/TEGL/TEGL12-10acc.pdf.
 5 U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration. PY 2010 Characteristics and Services of WIA Exiters with Positive and
 

Negative Outcomes, Adult. (Derived from PY 2010Q4 WIASRD Records) November 28, 2011. p.1.
 

http://www.doleta.gov/Performance/results/Pdf/py10_adult_charact_services_positive_negative.pdf.
 6 U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration. PY 2010 Characteristics and Services of WIA Exiters with Positive and
 

Negative Outcomes, Adult. (Derived from PY 2010Q4 WIASRD Records) November 28, 2011. p.3.
 

http://www.doleta.gov/Performance/results/Pdf/py10_adult_charact_services_positive_negative.pdf.
 7 Plans for Achieving Self-Support (PASS). The PASS provisions under the Social Security Act are an opportunity for individuals with disabilities
 

to accumulate income and/or resources without causing either ineligibility for SSI or a reduction in benefit payments. Under an approved
 

PASS, an individual may set aside earned income, unearned income and/or resources in a special account to pay for items or services needed
 

to achieve a specified occupational goal. These income and/or resources are completely disregarded when determining an individual's
 

eligibility for SSI or in calculating the SSI payment amount. Furthermore, federal regulations require that PASS funds be excluded by
 

Medicaid, TANF, food stamps and HUD rental assistance programs. More information is available at
 

http://www.idaresources.org/page?pageid=a047000000AsH85. 8 The Ticket to Work Program provides most people receiving Social Security benefits (beneficiaries) more choices for receiving employment
 

services. Under this program, most beneficiaries become eligible for the Ticket to Work Program when they start to receive SSDI or SSI
 

benefits based on disability. Beneficiaries may choose to assign their tickets to an Employment Network (EN) of their choice to obtain
 

employment services, vocational rehabilitation services or other support services necessary to achieve a vocational goal. The EN, if it accepts
 

the ticket, will coordinate and provide appropriate services to help the beneficiary find and maintain employment. More information is
 

available at http://www.chooseworkttw.net/about-program/faq.html. 9 Livermore, Gina A. and Colman, Silvie. Use of One Stops by Social Security Disability Beneficiaries in Four States Implementing Disability 

Program Navigator Initiatives: Final Report. May 2010. p. xi. 

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employment outcomes for people with disabilities who receive VR services. The Rehabilitation Act of 1973, 

Sections 7(11) (C) and 103(a) (13), supports state VR agencies in offering a self-employment outcome as follows: 

(C) Satisfying any other vocational outcome the Secretary may determine to be appropriate (including 

satisfying the vocational outcome of self-employment, telecommuting or business ownership), in a 

manner consistent with the Act. 

(13) Technical assistance and other consultation services to conduct market analyses, develop business 

plans, and otherwise provide resources, to the extent such resources are authorized to be provided 

through the statewide workforce investment system, to eligible individuals who are pursuing selfemployment or telecommuting or establishing a small business operation as an employment outcome. 

Despite this authority, an analysis of RSA case closure statistics for VR clients indicated that self-employment 

remains a small percentage of overall VR status 26 closures in employment, ranging from 1.97 percent in 2003 to 

1.66 percent in 2007 and 1.99 percent in 2009, although there has been a small increase to 2.40 percent in 

2012.10 

VR agencies with the highest percentage of self-employment outcomes were in states generally considered to 

have more disbursed populations and generally more rural communities. 

Average hourly and weekly earnings for individuals closed in self-employment were consistently higher than the 

average wages for all Status 26 (successfully employed) closures. The average hourly wage for persons closed in 

self-employment in FY 2012 was $14.46, compared to $11.33 for all Status 26 closures. Average weekly wage in 

self-employment in FY 2012 was $445, compared to $365 for all Status 26 closures. 

The mean average case service expenditure by VR agencies for persons closed in self-employment in FY 2012 was 

approximately $7,910. In comparison, the average expenditure for all Status 26 closures in FY 2012 was 

approximately $5,436. 

The mean average time period from the point that the Individual Plan for Employment was initiated to closure in 

self-employment in FY 2012 was 663 days. The comparative time period for all Status 26 closures in employment 

was 630 days. 

VR State agency involvement in facilitating self-employment outcomes does vary substantially from state to state, 

particularly for persons with a primary intellectual disability. There are states, such as Florida and Ohio, whose VR 

agencies are involved in initiatives to implement policies and practices that expand participation in selfemployment. These agencies are implementing a step-by-step vocational rehabilitation process that provides a 

variety of resources to the individual with a disability potentially interested in self-employment. This process 

focuses on individual support needs and emphasizes the development of a business design team to assist and 

support the self-employment initiative. It also focuses on the ongoing supports needed for the development of a 

viable business plan and the successful implementation and maintenance of the self-employment venture. 

10 West, Michael D. Access to Public Self-Employment Opportunities and Resources for Individuals with Disabilities. Virginia Commonwealth 

University, December 2008. RSA case closure statistics are currently available for each state, not nationally. VCU analyzed the national data 

as part of the START-UP/USA grant. 2012 data provided by RSA based on 2012 RSA-911 report data. 

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2. KEY ELEMENTS OF THE ODEP START-UP GRANTS 

One National Technical Assistance Center and Three State Grantees 

In 2011, ODEP funded Economic Systems Inc. to examine key elements, outcomes and impacts, and successes of 

the START-UP grants, as well as identify policy and systems barriers and propose recommendations for the future. 

This analysis, contained in the following pages, derived from two main sources: 1) existing reports and websites 

produced by the four START-UP grantees, and 2) interviews with the leadership of the four START-UP grantees. Inperson interviews were conducted in Syracuse for START-UP /New York. The leadership of START-UP/Alaska, 

START-UP/Florida, and START-UP/USA were interviewed by phone. The interviews and site visit were completed 

in January and February of 2012. 

START-UP/USA and all three state initiatives used a non-traditional assessment process, referred to as 

“discovery,” which is the foundation of the innovative strategy of Customized Employment. The traditional model 

of employment services consists of determining employer needs and then finding a person with a disability to 

fulfill those needs. Customized employment, in contrast, considers an individual’s talents and desires first, and the 

business idea follows. Thus, “discovery” in the context of self-employment is the customized approach to assisting 

an individual with a disability in pursuing entrepreneurship. Typically, discovery begins with conversations with 

the individual and family members, friends, and other acquaintances to learn about the individual’s interests, 

talents, and needed support strategies. These discussions, plus observations in the home, neighborhood, and 

workplace, if appropriate, reveal existing social capital, business expertise, connections, and experiences, which 

may be helpful if the individual launches an enterprise. 

The discovery process seeks to reveal personal themes that can be used to develop goals for employment.
 

Questions addressed during the discovery process include, but are not limited to, the following:
 

When is this person at his or her best?
 

What support strategies are needed in particular situations?
 

How does the individual learn best?
 

Who knows the individual well?
 

What circumstances may make the individual anxious or frightened?
 
 When is the person “in flow” (i.e., at peak performance or most comfortable)?11

Discovery guided START-UP candidates in analyzing whether self-employment was appropriate and feasible for 

them to pursue. Some candidates did not pursue self-employment because of either failing to pursue discovery or 

concluding that self-employment was not their best employment option. 

1. The START-UP National Technical Assistance Center (START-UP/USA) 

The national technical assistance center, START-UP/US!, was developed by VU’s Rehabilitation Research 

Training Center on Workplace Supports (VCU-RRTC) in collaboration with Griffin-Hammis Associates, LLC. Its 

work fell under four main tasks: 

1. Provided direct technical assistance to the three state grantees, based on the identified needs of each 

project, and offered support tailored to meet those needs. 

2. Developed a technical assistance center designed to increase the capacity of existing systems to provide 

self-employment services to people with disabilities. This center included a Web site, www.start-up-usa.biz

11 Griffin, Cary. Discovery. http://www.start-up-usa.biz/resources/content.cfm?id=696. 

7 
with online resources, materials and links; a webinar series on topics of interest; and online 

courses. 

3. Provided technical assistance to individual potential entrepreneurs through mail, phone and email support. 

4. Conducted nationwide research and analysis of current resources and support available to individuals with 

disabilities for pursuit of entrepreneurship. 

 

2. The Three State Grants 

Each of the three START-UP state demonstration grantees in Alaska, Florida, and New York developed its own 

collaborative model involving key stakeholders. These stakeholders represented advocacy; small business 

development; university programs; and rehabilitative, training and employment services for people with 

disabilities. Each of the three state demonstration sites also established a collaborative work group, developed 

and implemented training programs for front-line staff, and provided direct services to people with disabilities 

who were interested in pursuing self-employment. The general approach used by all three state grantees can be 

summarized as follows: 

Established a consortium to develop the program, typically involving: 

• State’s department of labor (associated with U.S. Department of Labor) 

• State’s VR agency (associated with U.S. Department of Education) 

• Small business development centers (SBDCs) (Associated with U.S. Small Business
 

Administration) 

• Advocacy groups 

• Universities 

Developed, trained and implemented a curriculum for counselors and people with disabilities in: 

• Discovery assessment process for self-employment readiness 

• Support in developing a business plan 

• Support in obtaining financing 

• Support in carrying out the business plan
 

Provided direct assistance to people with disabilities
 

3. START-UP Initiative in Alaska (START-UP/Alaska) 

Purpose 

START-UP/Alaska intended to build on the state's prior efforts to develop a customized employment12 selfemployment program and to develop the infrastructure needed to overcome barriers to self-employment for 

people with disabilities. The Governor's Council on Disability and Self-Employment led the Alaska consortia, 

beginning with 10 stakeholders, including the state's VR agency, AJCs, and SBDCs. The consortium met to identify 

needs, map resources, and identify infrastructure issues that needed to be remedied. The customized selfemployment model was implemented at three sites, including two AJCs and one independent living center that 

worked closely with the nearby AJC. A Virtual Business Advisor was also used to assist potential entrepreneurs in 

remote areas of the state in developing a formal business plan and to provide ongoing support until their 

businesses were self-sufficient. 

12 From 2001 to 2006, ODEP funded 20 demonstration projects, including Alaska, to provide customized employment through AJCs, as well 

as non-profit and faith-based agencies. Customized employment is an employment strategy that matches the specific skills, interests and 

needs of the job seeker with the unmet workplace needs of the employer through a newly customized position or to become self-employed. 

It is based on an individualized determination of the strengths, requirements and interests of a person and an assessment of the 

organizational and operational needs of a particular employer. Additional information on customized employment is available at 

http://www.dol.gov/odep/categories/workforce/CustomizedEmployment/what/index.htm . 

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Scale 

START-UP/Alaska covered the cities of Anchorage, Juneau, and Fairbanks and their surrounding areas. The Juneau 

site expanded to cover southeast Alaska through virtual services. 

Target Populations 

Clients accessed START-UP/Alaska services through a variety of referral sources, such as Division of Vocational 

Rehabilitation (DVR) counselors, Disability Program Navigators (DPN) based at AJCs, colleagues, SBDCs, school 

districts, Client Assistance Programs (CAPs), and self-referrals. START-UP/Alaska characterized some of the 

referrals as individuals for whom counselors had already “tried everything,” yet had not succeeded in achieving 

wage employment. Candidates went through a formal “discovery” process, conceptualized by Marc Gold and 

Associates and offered through Employment for All, an offshoot of Marc Gold and Associates, as well as through 

Griffin-Hammis Associates, LLC, a member of the START-UP/USA consortium. 

START-UP/Alaska planned to provide services to 10 people with significant disabilities in each of the 3 locations, or 

help a total of 30 people with significant disabilities become self-employed as a result of the interventions of the 

demonstration. Actually, 78 individuals received services, 37 completed a business plan and 33 created 

businesses. 

Critical Elements of Alaska Model 

START-UP/Alaska used a business incubator model with customized self-employment, supported by resources 

provided by START-UP/USA and three self-employment facilitators with business start-up expertise. All STARTUP/Alaska candidates who chose to pursue self-employment went through a discovery process as the first step 

toward developing a customized self-employment business. Initially planned as a physical incubator in a single 

location, the rural nature and size of the coverage area led to the implementation of the virtual incubator model. 

The approach successfully used electronic tools to provide entrepreneurs and site facilitators with business 

development, management training and technical assistance, including Internet-based webinars, teleconferences, 

and one-on-one phone calls. 

4. START-UP Initiative in Florida (START-UP/Florida) 

Purpose 

Florida's Agency for Workforce Innovation (AWI) led a consortium of stakeholders in developing a strategy for 

supporting self-employment for Floridians with disabilities. The goals identified by the START-UP/Florida statelevel steering committee were to: 1) increase economic self-sufficiency and personal independence of individuals 

with disabilities by taking full advantage of financial supports, program waivers and other incentives available at 

the federal, state and local levels; 2) increase opportunities for people with disabilities to become self-employed 

or become entrepreneurs by creating their own microenterprises; and 3) increase the assets and economic selfsufficiency of individuals and targeted communities. 

9 
Scale 

Jacksonville (targeted veterans with disabilities), Lakeland (targeted people with developmental disabilities), and 

Ft. Lauderdale/Miami (targeted all people with disabilities) were selected for intensive training and technical 

assistance. They then served as incubators for further expansion of the models tested through START-UP/Florida. 

Target Populations 

START-UP/Florida targeted youth, adults, veterans, and older workers with disabilities. 

Critical Elements of Florida Model 

START-UP/Florida tested three models that had been previously developed and used in Florida to build capacity 

and infrastructure for people with disabilities interested in self-employment. The START-UP/Florida grant was 

designed to study the impact of and build upon these three models at both the systems and individual levels. 

Thus, collaborative partners included the agencies involved with the three models: the state’s workforce 

innovation agency, VR agency and Department of Education; the University of South Florida; and the Association 

for Persons with Developmental Disabilities. AJCs were used as the primary training location in several sites. 

The three models implemented and tested were METTA (Micro-Enterprise Training and Technical Assistance), 

BOSS (Bridging Opportunities for Self-Sufficiency) and FastTrac (a private-sector self-employment training 

curriculum). Developed by the University of South Florida, the METTA model is highly interactive, with a defined 

discovery process and team approach that integrates partners across disciplines working toward the goal of selfemployment for individuals who are mostly VR-eligible with significant disabilities. The model’s training includes 

professional and technical assistance curricula for people located in both urban and rural communities. 

Developed by Florida's Department of Education, the BOSS model is essentially a manual designed for educators 

and human services’ professionals to help individuals with disabilities explore and pursue the option of selfemployment as a career choice. The model consists of a four-step process: 1) identification of a primary support 

person; 2) selection of the support team; 3) exploration and examination of relevant information about the 

individual’s life, dreams, talents, supports and relationships; and 4) development of the BOSS Self-Folio. The BOSS 

model is an action-oriented tool that has been used to assist students in transition from high school to work. 

START-UP/Florida also used BOSS in conjunction with METTA as a tool for individuals transitioning from school to 

work, as well as for others already out of school. 

A nationally recognized entrepreneurial training program that has a developed curriculum, FastTrac uses certified 

facilitators and materials to provide entrepreneurial training. FastTrac was introduced by AWI in AJCs prior to 

START-UP/Florida as a viable self-employment training option for veterans with disabilities. 

5. START-UP Initiative in New York (START-UP/New York) 

Purpose 

The Burton Blatt Institute (BBI) at Syracuse University led START-UP/New York, the goal of which was to 

establish a sustainable public-private sector collaboration that provides all necessary supports to offer 

people with diverse disabilities effective and meaningful opportunities to pursue and obtain selfemployment. 

10 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Scale 

START-UP/New York was conducted in Onondaga County, in which Syracuse is the largest city. By the end of 

the grant period, START-UP/New York had also begun to establish programs in surrounding counties and 

New York City. 

Target Populations 

START-UP/New York sought referrals in Onondaga County through direct advertising, partner agencies and the 

state public workforce system. Individuals with disabilities were recruited inclusively by START-UP/New York, 

without regard for the nature or severity of their disability. Interested persons with disabilities went through a 

discovery process in which they explored their interests, strengths and support systems. Individuals who 

concluded that they wanted to pursue entrepreneurship at the end of their discovery experience continued into 

ongoing support from START-UP/New York. 

Critical Elements of New York Model 

The START-UP/New York program was built and delivered using a strong network of multi-stakeholder 

partners and collaborators. In addition to the BBI, these key stakeholders included Syracuse University’s 

Institute for Veterans and Military Families and Whitman School of Management; the county VR agency; 

the South Side Innovation Center (SSIC) small business incubator; and the local SBDC. By June 2009, STARTUP/New York had engaged 55 stakeholders, including the program management team; research 

universities and colleges; financial institutions; disability service agencies at the county, state and national 

levels; and technology and economic development agencies. 

START-UP/New York's model used a business incubator operated at the SSIC in Syracuse to support 

entrepreneurs through the discovery process and ongoing peer-to-peer networking meetings during which 

participants shared experiences. Prospective entrepreneurs first met with an SSIC staff member designated 

as a “Business Navigator.” After discovery, the SSIC connected the entrepreneurs with the state's VR 

agency and SBDC, which provided advice and business training needed for a successful business launch. The 

Business Navigator and SBDC staff then continued to follow and advise entrepreneurs following launch to 

ensure sustainability of the business. 

As the project evolved, START-UP/New York developed a graduate and undergraduate course, entitled 

Inclusive Entrepreneurship, offered through Syracuse University's Whitman School of Management. The 

course familiarizes management majors with the issues that people with disabilities face when they seek 

entrepreneurship. Students enrolled in the course are assigned to consulting teams to work with STARTUP/New York entrepreneurs in developing their business plans and marketing materials, identifying 

financing, and conducting related activities. 

START-UP/New York’s I team also worked closely with the Whitman School-led Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for 

Veterans (EBV) program started in 2007 to develop a customized program for veterans with disabilities. This 

program provides cutting edge, experiential training in entrepreneurship and small business management to post9/11 veterans with disabilities and is offered entirely free to qualified candidates accepted into the program. BBI is 

a collaborative EBV partner for creating disability-related curriculum and assisting participants in understanding 

and leveraging programs at the intersection of disability and entrepreneurship. The EBV program is currently 

offered by a network of six world-class institutions. 

11 
3. OUTCOMES AND IMPACTS 

Context and Legacies of START-UP 

1. The Context for START-UP Self-Employment Outcomes 

State START-UP grantees consistently reported that the workforce development system and state VR agencies are 

not oriented toward entrepreneurship and self-employment as employment outcomes for people with 

disabilities. Instead, these programs and services emphasize wage employment, as shown below in Figure 1. 

Figure 1: General Path to Employment for People with a Disability 

For people with disabilities interested in pursuing self-employment, the path requires substantial initiative, 

tenacity and skills, just as it does for people without disabilities. Agencies are generally oriented to supporting 

individuals in seeking wage employment and thus are better prepared to support that path. Figure 2 illustrates 

the path a person with a disability might follow in the public workforce system, with linkages to other sources of 

support. 

12 
Figure 2: General Path for People with Disabilities Seeking Self-Employment 

The three demonstration sites reported that prior to START-UP, self-employment was not a typical outcome for a 

person with a disability seeking assistance from the state's VR agency or an AJC. VCU analyzed the RSA 911 data 

system (performance data RSA collects annually from state VR programs) and found that nationally, VR agencies 

produced a 1.99 percent rate of self-employment among the cases they closed in 2009. 

State grantees met the following perceived barriers, to varying degrees: 

A culture that was not oriented toward self-employment for people with disabilities. Staff involved 

with START-UP reported that some stakeholders held the belief that self-employment is not viable or 

feasible for most people with disabilities. 

Unrealistic expectations for business plan development. Some staff involved with START-UP reported 

that some stakeholders had expectations for people with no prior business experience to develop 

business plans independently and without much support. 

Lack of infrastructure to support self-employment, including absence of communication and 

coordination among organizations involved in supporting people with disabilities in seeking selfemployment. 

13 
Lack of understanding among front-line staff about entrepreneurship and the tools and resources 

needed to support self-employment among people with disabilities. 

Federal Social Security disability benefit policies that create disincentives to employment overall13 

and federal workforce system program policies14 that discourage choice and pursuit of selfemployment. 

Performance measures for AJCs that are wage-driven do not consider business start-up as a relevant 

indicator of success. 

Lack of financial resources and access to capital for entrepreneurs to support business start-up. 

VCU interviewed 23 successful (defined as having been in business at least 12 months and having achieved 

$10,000 in revenue) entrepreneurs with disabilities about their experiences in getting support for selfemployment from existing systems prior to START-UP. Interview participants indicated that their core case 

coordination contact points were not a primary source for assistance in pursuing self-employment. Local mental 

health case management and treatment systems, secondary-level public education programs, and community 

rehabilitation programs and employment services organizations generally did not proactively offer information on 

self-employment options during vocational assessment and career exploration activities. In general, staff 

members of these programs were generally not knowledgeable about self-employment. 

Rather, the entrepreneurs with disabilities interviewed said a significant factor in their success was finding an 

individual who could champion and facilitate an exploration of self-employment. Such individuals were found in 

community non-profit programs or a unit of a public program that had a specific focus on entrepreneurship. Selfemployment champions, programs and agencies are occasionally available, but not widely, to support people 

with disabilities. VCU also observed that state VR programs tended to support entrepreneurs who had obtained 

multiple funding sources for their business.15 

The situation for a person with a disability was significantly different in the state START-UP demonstrations. These 

demonstrations brought together existing resources to support self-employment and used START-UP resources to 

train agency staff and create an infrastructure to support people with disabilities in developing self-employment 

plans and goals for themselves. START-UP shifted the paradigm from one that assumed people with disabilities 

should pursue wage employment to one in which people with disabilities were encouraged to pursue selfemployment. START-UP helped to inspire individuals with disabilities to consider self-employment. Most 

importantly, it overcame the systemic barriers that people with disabilities face when trying to pursue 

entrepreneurship. Figure 3 illustrates how the general path to self-employment and entrepreneurship changed 

for people with disabilities, following the approaches demonstrated by START-UP. 

13 Perceived disincentives are not expecting people to pursue employment after having been deemed “unemployable,” potential loss of 

benefits due to employment income, and fear of not being able to get disability benefits again if self-employment does not work out. 14 Program policies that discourage choice and self-employment are policies that encourage agencies to place people in employment as soon 

as possible and policies that do not have separate indicators for success for self-employment and wage employment. Self- employment 

typically takes more time to develop than wage employment. 15 Virginia Commonwealth University. START-UP/USA Final Close-Out Report. December 10, 2010. 

14 
Figure 3: General Path for People with Disabilities Seeking Self-Employment after START-UP 

2. START-UP Accomplishments 

VCU was responsible for collecting outcome data from all START-UP grantees, including START-UP/USA. START-UP 

accomplishments are presented in three categories: technical assistance, capacity-building, and numbers of 

participants. Except as otherwise noted, all quantitative information on accomplishments are those reported in 

VU’s close-out report cited previously. 

a. Technical Assistance 

VCU's START-UP/USA reported the following accomplishments for the START-UP/USA website and technical 

assistance center during START-UP’s funding period: 

From January 1, 2007 through December 10, 2010, a total of 73,922 visitors came to the START-UP/USA 

website. A total of 270,218 page views were made by these visitors. 

START-UP/USA produced and streamed 19 live webcasts. A total of 2,613 individuals participated in the 

webcasts during the course of the project. (See Appendix 1 for a list of the webcasts topics.) 

15 
Webcasts were made available through online archives, which were used by 11,276 visitors with a total of 

17,442 page views through December 10, 2010. 

VCU developed and acquired resources for the website, including 18 fact sheets, 8 case studies, and links to 

relevant information for business start-up. The 18 fact sheets were accessed by 12,866 individuals during 

the project with a total of 28,576 page views. (See Appendix 2 for a list of fact sheets.) 

START-UP/USA developed an online course entitled "Overview of Self-Employment for Entrepreneurs with 

Disabilities." A total of 335 individuals participated in the course between April 2009 and November 2010. 

The course is still offered regularly as of the date of this publication. (See Appendix 3 for more information.) 

START-UP/USA completed 1,422 technical assistance and information requests made by people with 

disabilities and others between October 1, 2007 and September 30, 2010. Almost half (46.1 percent) of the 

requests were made by people with disabilities and their families. The next largest group of requests came 

from community rehabilitation providers, at 17.6 percent. Requests were completed by email, web, phone, 

and in-person. 

Technical assistance requests were most frequently about starting a business (38.3 percent), funding (30.1 

percent), and policies and supports (19.1 percent). About two-thirds of the technical assistance requests 

about funding were related to work incentives, waivers, and blended funding. 

b. Capacity-Building 

Systems Change 

The three state grantees were engaged in systems change. All project managers interviewed in January and 

February of 2012 reported increased capacity and coordination through the development of new collaborations 

and relationships among stakeholders and breaking down of silos. Considerable effort went into building trust and 

consensus among collaborators whose goals were focused more on wage employment than self-employment for 

people with disabilities. Stakeholders signed memoranda of understanding, defining their roles and common 

goals. Meetings, team-building activities, and retreats were used by the grantees to build consensus on the idea 

of entrepreneurship for people with disabilities. Not all consortia members were convinced initially that selfemployment was feasible for people with disabilities. 

Each START-UP state consortium coordinated resources from the public and private sectors, including 

government, higher education, non-profit community agencies, for-profit companies, and advocacy groups. 

Figure 4 presents the collaborators in each state. 

Once an appropriate level of consensus was achieved, START-UP consortia worked to become knowledgeable in 

the multiple facets of supporting self-employment for people with disabilities. The facets included consultation in 

business planning, marketing, advertising, financing, licensure, and numerous other aspects specific to the nature 

of a particular business. This knowledge was then used to provide customized services to people with disabilities. 

Leveraging Funding 

A critical concern to all state demonstration sites was raising funds for business start-up while maintaining 

support through disability benefits from Social Security, maintaining health care from Medicaid, and channeling 

work-incentive funding to support START-UP businesses. Grantees that were most successful in addressing 

funding issues for their entrepreneurs obtained financing from foundations and non-profits. All grantees worked 

closely with START-UP/USA on strategies to leverage funds from work-incentive programs and to prevent 

entrepreneurs from losing their benefits during the critical phase of launching their businesses. 

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Figure 4: Collaborators in START-UP States 

START UP/Alaska START UP/Florida START UP/New York 

Governor’s Council on Disabilities and 

Special Education 

Alaska Division of Vocational 

Rehabilitation 

Alaska Employment Security Division 

Alaska Division of Business 

Partnerships 

Alaska Division of Public Assistance 

Alaska Division of Behavioral Health 

Alaska Division of Senior and Disability 

Services 

Alaska Division of Teaching and 

Learning Support 

University of Alaska 

Small Business Development Center 

Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority 

Employment for All (EFA) 

Workforce Florida, Inc. 

Agency for Persons with Disabilities 

Florida Division of Vocational 

Rehabilitation 

Three Florida Regional Workforce 

Boards 

University of South Florida 

Griffin-Hammis LLC 

National Disability Institute 

Burton Blatt Institute at Syracuse 

University 

South Side Entrepreneurial Connect 

Project and Incubator of the Walt 

Whitman School of Business at 

Syracuse University 

Institute for Veterans and Military 

Families 

ARISE Independent Living Center 

Advocates for Living Potential 

CNY Works 

Enable 

Greater Syracuse Chamber of 

Commerce 

Syracuse Cooperative Federal Credit 

Union 

Onondaga County Office of Economic 

Development 

Office of Vocational and Educational 

Services for Individuals with 

Disabilities, New York State Education 

Department 

PASS, for instance, is utilized by less than 1 percent of those eligible overall.16 In contrast, one fourth (43 of 194 

START-UP participants surveyed by VCU)17 had PASS plans. START-UP/USA demonstrated how to use this 

resource by helping craft numerous PASS scenarios with business owners in the three states. With assistance from 

START-UP/USA, demonstration grantees leveraged PASS, VR funding, PESS18 and Medicaid waiver funds for 

support of business development.19 START-UP demonstration managers interviewed in 2012 reported that 

blending funds from these sources is a cumbersome and time-consuming process that requires specialized 

expertise. Although SSA counselors in the Work Incentive Planning and Assistance (WIPA) program were available 

and were consulted by grantees, there was still a need for grantees to provide additional benefits counseling to 

16 The Social Security Administration reported that 0.1 percent of SSI recipients who are blind or have other disabilities and worked in 2010 

had a Plan to Achieve Self Sufficiency (PASS). http://www.ssa.gov/policy/docs/statcomps/ssi_asr/2010/ssi_asr10.pdf . 17 Virginia Commonwealth University. START-UP/USA Final Close-Out Report. December 2010. 18 Property Essential for Self Support. SSI allows unlimited accumulation of assets (including cash in a business account) for the operation of 

certain small businesses or micro-enterprises. PESS is excluded from Medicaid eligibility determinations, thereby allowing Medicaid to 

continue for business owners who received SSI disability benefits. See: http://www.socialsecurity.gov/redbook/eng/ssi-only-employmentsupports.htm#4. 19 Virginia Commonwealth University, START-UP/USA Final Close-Out Report. December 2010. 

17 
START-UP entrepreneurs. With assistance from START-UP/USA, START-UP demonstration grantees trained 

specialized benefits navigators to assist entrepreneurs. 

Sustained Collaborations and Partnerships 

In addressing barriers to self-employment, state grantees made formal and informal agreements, executed 

memoranda of understanding, developed manuals, wrote policy, instituted trainings for staff and for 

entrepreneurs, and uncovered features of existing programs and systems that supported and hindered selfemployment for people with disabilities. For example, START-UP/Alaska developed memoranda of understanding 

between major stakeholders in the state to align policies in support of self-employment among people with 

disabilities. In Florida, the VR program revised its self-employment policy and funded staff development. Alaska's 

Division of Senior and Disability Services put in state Medicaid waiver regulations provisions to increase the 

service period so that longer-term support to nascent entrepreneurs could be provided and the businesses could 

be sustained. The New York State Senate introduced legislation in 2012, aimed at dramatically expanding 

entrepreneurship opportunities for veterans with disabilities. The bill, which was pending when this report went 

to press, referenced the work of the BBI at Syracuse University and reflected the success of START-UP/New York 

and the university course entitled Inclusive Entrepreneurship. 

Curricula and Training 

START-UP/Florida created a self-employment certification for its vendor network. By the end of 2010, more than 

100 vendors had received certification in self-employment. START-UP/Florida also incorporated the BOSS selfemployment manual into their high school curricula statewide to assist youth in transition. 

As mentioned above, in New York, BBI and the Whitman School of Management at Syracuse University developed 

a course offered by the Whitman School to undergraduate and graduate business majors entitled Inclusive 

Entrepreneurship. The course sensitizes students to the issues faced by people with disabilities in employment 

and in self-employment, and students provide technical assistance to START-UP entrepreneurs. 

VCU's START-UP/USA, in association with Griffin-Hammis Associates, LLC, refined approaches to discovery 

(assessment), marketing (the MicroMarketing materials), and business planning (the Quick-Launch Parts I and II 

Business Plan curriculum). They also provided extensive training and materials on SSA and U.S. Department of 

Veterans Affairs (VA) benefits relating to self-employment income and activities. State grantees received technical 

assistance and training in these approaches and adapted or implemented them in developing their own projects. 

All of the state grantees received training and technical assistance in implementing the discovery assessment 

process, during which START-UP candidates were coached to assess their desire and capacity to be an 

entrepreneur. START-UP/USA also provided training to staff and directly assisted entrepreneurs in planning and 

launching their businesses. 

The Quick-Launch training curriculum was expanded by START-UP/USA. (See Figure 5.) Part I of Quick-Launch 

brought prospective business owners and their team members (START-UP state staff) together and led them stepby-step through the small business-planning map resulting in a draft business plan. The two-day Part I sessions 

gathered information from discovery, the rationale for a business instead of wage employment, the business 

model, a sales plan, pro-forma cash flow projections, a start-up budget, supplies, tools and equipment needed, 

the existence of competitors, marketing and distribution approaches, etc. 

Part II of Quick-Launch pulled together the work between the initial planning and the addition of SSA work 

incentives, analyses of the impact of earnings on medical benefits, leveraging opportunities for financial and 

business supports, and the incorporation of feasibility testing into a useable business plan. While Quick-Launch 

was a training series, much of the actual writing and research took place leading up to and following the class 

sessions. This resulted in ongoing technical assistance to the prospective business owner, the team, family 

members offering support, and the various funders. This technical assistance effort demonstrated the intensity 

and the rigor of the process, and is now being used in numerous states across the country. 

18 
19

Figure 5: Small Business START-UP Flow Chart Used by the START-UP/USA in Quick-Launch Training 

Source: Virginia Commonwealth University START-UP/USA Final Close-Out Report

Infrastructure 

State grantees' goals included policy changes and infrastructure development, as well as entrepreneurship 

outcomes for people with disabilities enrolled in their programs. The level of infrastructure development and 

capacity to serve entrepreneurs with disabilities varied in the grantee sites. The Florida grantee leadership 

reported that prior to START-UP, little capacity existed to support entrepreneurship, and therefore it had to place 

more emphasis on planning, design, and development than actual service delivery. Other state grantees built 

upon existing systems. Alaska leadership, for instance, noted that self-employment was a natural offshoot to their 

customized employment grant (previously funded by ODEP). New York's BBI Institute built on its extensive 

experience in supporting wage employment of individuals with disabilities. With backing from the chancellor to 

improve the lives of people in the community, BBI marshaled stakeholders to support entrepreneurship among 

people with disabilities in Onondaga County, NY. 

c. Number of Entrepreneurs 

Given their different starting positions, the state grantees varied in their expectations for the third type of 

accomplishment: the number of entrepreneurs they anticipated would complete their programs. Alaska 

anticipated that it would produce about 7 or 8 entrepreneurs per local site, or a total of 30; Florida expected one 

successful entrepreneur per model, or a total of 3, and New York expected 30 entrepreneurs with disabilities 

would start businesses. START-UP/USA established a data reporting system for the state grantees to record 

information about the people with disabilities enrolled in their START-UP programs. During the period during 

which START-UP/USA collected data, all state grantees exceeded their expectations. Candidates for START-UP

were recruited by referrals from stakeholder agencies, word of mouth, publicity about the projects and, in New 

York, direct outreach in the community. VCU recorded 19420 people enrolled in START-UP services in the three 

participating states.21

 

20 Although START-UP had 194 recorded participants, not all 194 provided data for each item in the reporting system. Findings are from 

respondents who provided data on the topic discussed, which could be fewer than all participants. 

21 Virginia Commonwealth University, START-UP/USA Final Close-Out Report, December 10, 2010. 
 

3. Outcomes for Entrepreneurs 

With grantees devoting the first year of their grants to planning and development, START-UP entrepreneurs 

typically had less than two years to launch a business and become operational. Available research indicates that 

less than two years is insufficient for nascent entrepreneurs, with or without a disability, to develop plans, secure 

financing, launch a business, and become established. The first U.S. Panel Study of Entrepreneurial Dynamics22 

(PSED) surveyed a panel of nascent entrepreneurs and found that after about four and a half years, about onethird of entrepreneurs were operating a new business, one-third were still in the active start-up phase, and onethird had disengaged from the entrepreneurial process.23 ET!’s Project G!TE reported that it took an average of 

about a year24 of support before their participants launched a business (Project GATE did not target people with 

disabilities). The two-year implementation was too short to expect many START-UP entrepreneurs to have 

entered the operational stage, yet with support from the grantees, many did. 

Likewise, START-UP’s implementation period was too short to expect businesses to generate an income and 

profit. Analysis of the PSED found that the median amount of time between the first organizing activity performed 

to start a business and the first receipt of money, income, or fees from the sale of goods and services was 25 

months. 

START-UP entrepreneurs exceeded many of the norms for launching new businesses. Of the 194 persons with 

disabilities enrolled in START-UP programming, 137 achieved at least one major milestone.25 The most frequently 

achieved milestone was initiation of a business plan. During the period VCU gathered data, 56 entrepreneurs 

reported an operating business. A business could be defined as viable on the basis of having filed federal and state 

tax returns. Of the persons with disabilities supported by START-UP in the 3 states, 11 entrepreneurs in Alaska, 3 

entrepreneurs in Florida and 23 entrepreneurs in New York filed federal tax returns.26 

In the 2012 interviews, START-UP/Florida and START-UP/New York leadership said that more individuals pursued 

entrepreneurship than what was captured by the START-UP/USA reporting. START-UP/Florida leadership stated 

that the FastTrac model was implemented with veterans before the reporting system was established; therefore, 

the veteran entrepreneurs were not counted. START-UP/New York leadership reported a lengthy planning and 

development process, with far more individuals than reported to VCU in the pipeline. START-UP/New York also 

reported that at the end of the grant funding period, about 30 businesses were started, and that a total of 60 

businesses were established through START-UP efforts, including the post-grant period. 

Furthermore, state grantees noted that they considered a successful outcome of START-UP to be an informed 

decision not to start a business or pursue self-employment. Going through the discovery process led some people 

to conclude that entrepreneurship was not the right avenue for them, thereby enabling them to focus on wage 

employment opportunities. 

The START-UP/USA data system did not collect information on the nature of the businesses. Success stories and 

anecdotal evidence revealed that the businesses covered numerous sectors, including automotive repair, 

automotive detailing, furniture manufacturing, online gift certificates, property management, home repair, dog 

22 The Panel Survey of Entrepreneurial Dynamics is conducted by the University of Michigan’s Institute for Survey Research. More information 

can be found at http://www.psed.isr.umich.edu/psed/documentation. 23 PSED results are from Gartner, William B., Shaver, Kelly G., Carter, Nancy M., Reynolds, and Paul D. Handbook of Entrepreneurial Dynamics:
 

The Process of Business Creation. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, 2004.
 24 Benus, Jacob, McConnell, Sheena, Belotti, Jeanne, Shen, Theodore, Fortson, Kenneth, Kahvecioblu, Daver. Growing America Through
 

Entrepreneurship: Findings from the Evaluation of Project GATE. May 2008, P. 79.
 

http://wdr.doleta.gov/research/FullText_Documents/Findings%20from%20the%20Evaluation%20of%20Project%20GATE%20Report.pdf 25Milestones included 1) initiating a business plan, 2) completing a business plan, 3) completing a business feasibility study, 4) obtaining startup funding, 5) creating a business, 6) filing state and federal taxes, 7) obtaining state and local business licenses, 8) making a sale, 9) 

expanding their business. 26 Virginia Commonwealth University, START-UP/USA Final Close-Out Report, December 10, 2010. 

20 
 

kennels, photography, art, craft sales, restaurants and lodging, catering and food concessions, a variety of retail 

outlets, and internet-based and mail-order sales. 

4. Evidence of Impacts on People with Disabilities 

START-UP demonstrations assisted entrepreneurs from diverse backgrounds. START-UP/Alaska and STARTUP/New York served all people interested in self-employment, with no regard to the nature of their disabilities. 

START-UP/Florida focused its efforts on individuals with developmental disabilities in Lakeland, disabled veterans 

in Jacksonville, and the general population of people with disabilities in Ft. Lauderdale/Miami. START/UP/Alaska 

reported that its referrals included individuals for whom frustrated caseworkers had "tried everything" in 

attempting to place them in wage employment. START-UP/USA reported on the primary diagnosis of 19027 

START-UP enrollees from the three sites. Almost half (47.4 percent) had physical impairments and 28.1 percent 

had cognitive or mental disabilities. The remainder had medical, visual, hearing impairments, or disabilities that 

were not disclosed.28 

START-UP participants were asked at the time of enrollment if they were receiving SSI and/or SSDI. Forty-five 

individuals (23.2 percent) responded that they were receiving SSI; 67 (34.5 percent) were receiving SSDI. When 

asked if they were receiving health benefits, 133 (68.6 percent) responded affirmatively.29 The START-UP/USA 

data system did not capture the status of benefit programs post-enrollment, and START-UP managers who were 

interviewed said they did not have statistics on the disability benefit status of START-UP enrollees after they 

launched their businesses. According to the information entered in the tracking database, a total of 43 

participants received support from the projects related to Social Security work incentives, including writing a 

PASS. START-UP/USA reported data available from SSA revealed that only 103 (6.6 percent) of the total PASS 

plans by Social Security disability beneficiaries written in 2008 were individuals who had self-employment 

income.30 The most recent Social Security data available reveal that in 2010, 83 out of 1,393 (6.0 percent) of Social 

Security disability beneficiaries with PASS plans had income from self-employment.31 

The benefits to the participating individuals with disabilities reported by grant managers were increased income 

and increased self worth and satisfaction. Participants benefitted from being able to customize their employment 

to their disabilities and from having the freedom to use their talents and interests. 

5. Evidence of Broader Impacts 

In addition to the immediate outcomes of START-UP, the program has left a legacy among the grantees and the 

broader community. START-UP has continued in New York, and increased capacity exists in systems in Alaska and 

Florida. Furthermore, outcomes suggest that capacity developed through START-UP led to related initiatives that 

aim to improve the lives of people with disabilities. 

a. Legacy of START-UP/USA 

Although no longer funded by ODEP, VCU continues to make the START-UP/USA Web site available, 

including fact sheets, case studies, archived webcasts and online webinars. An important legacy of START27 Not all of the 194 enrollees reported a primary diagnosis. 28 Virginia Commonwealth University, START-UP Final Close-Out Report, December 10, 2010. 29 The survey did not ask whether the source of health care was through Medicare, Medicaid, private or other sources. It is reasonable to
 

expect that a substantial portion received Medicare and Medicaid, because SSDI and SSI beneficiaries qualify for these benefits.
 30 Retrieved from: http://www.ssa.gov/policy/docs/statcomps/ssi_asr/2008/sect07.html#table54.
 31 Retrieved from: http://www.ssa.gov/policy/docs/statcomps/ssi_asr/2010/sect07.html#table54.
 

21 
 

UP/USA was informing SSA of the need for Limited Liability Companies (LLCs)32 to be excluded under the 

PASS plan and then implementing an interpretation by the SSA reflecting this. START-UP/USA worked with 

START-UP/New York in developing an approach for using non-federally funded Individual Development 

Accounts (IDAs) to help finance business expenses. SSA agreed to an approach that permitted exclusion of 

those accounts from the SSI resource limits.33 VCU and Griffin-Hammis are continuing to respond to 

requests for information and assistance submitted to the START-UP/USA website, and website visitors are 

continuing to download information and view the archived webinars. In the absence of funding, however, 

VCU is no longer able to tabulate statistics on visitors or use of the site. 

START-UP/USA left a legacy far beyond the three demonstration states. Its staff provided policy samples, 

self-employment strategies, capacity building, and other information to VR personnel in Minnesota, 

California, New Mexico, Colorado, Rhode Island, Texas, Illinois, Michigan, Oregon, New Jersey, Iowa, New 

Hampshire, Nevada, Idaho, Arkansas, South Dakota, and other states. They were also instrumental in 

assisting Texas and Ohio in developing self-employment programs for people with disabilities. 

b. Legacy of START-UP/New York 

START-UP/New York has launched several offshoots of its program. First, it is continuing to support entrepreneurs 

with disabilities through collaboration between BBI; the South Side Innovation Center, a small business incubator 

in Syracuse, VR, and an SBDC. Second, Inclusive Entrepreneurship, the course developed collaboratively by BBI and 

the Whitman School of Management at Syracuse University, is now taken by graduate and undergraduate 

business and management majors. Third, START-UP/New York has been replicated in numerous locations (and 

further discussions are underway to create more branches both domestically and internationally). For example, it 

was replicated in Hunter College in New York City in a program to train rehabilitation counselors, and discussions 

are underway with Florida Atlantic University and with academics in Accra, Ghana. Furthermore, START-UP New 

York's Principal Investigator taught concepts from START-UP in Stellenbosch, South Africa, and BBI replicated 

START-UP in three more counties in New York through a Medicaid infrastructure grant. Fourth, BBI was awarded 

an SBA PRIME grant that integrated START-UP strategies with support for TANF recipients with disabilities. Fifth, 

START-UP/ New York collaborated with the Syracuse Cooperative Federal Credit Union to offer IDAs to START-UP 

grantees with matching funds provided by a foundation. The credit union provides basic financial counseling, with 

the expectation that successful entrepreneurs will bank with them as they become successful. START-UP/New 

York also produced several publications, including Simply Speaking: Inclusive Entrepreneurship Guidelines for SBDC 

32 Self-employed individuals often are advised from a business tax and liability perspective, and would prefer to form Limited Liability 

Companies (LLCs), sub-chapter S corporations or C corporations to protect their personal and family assets from potential lawsuits associated 

with their business. However, resources and assets of income from any for-profit corporation or any form of LLC are treated as personal 

resources subject to a $2,000 SSI personal resource limit in combination with the LL’s, member’s or corporate stock holder’s personal 

resources. If the limit is exceed, it causes the loss of SSI eligibility in all states (and loss of Medicaid in many states), whereas the resources 

and assets of sole proprietorships or partnerships are totally excluded by SSI and Medicaid. The business liability issue is that sole 

proprietorships or partnerships offer no liability protection for family and personal assets from business-related lawsuits. START-UP/USA 

worked with SSA to develop an interpretation that benefitted START-UP entrepreneurs seeking start-up funding from SSI’s P!SS. If an 

individual has a PASS, he or she may be able to exclude an LL’s entire net worth from the SSI $2,000 personal resource limit during the life of 

the PASS if the LLC structure is necessary to fulfill the plan. It is important to note that PASS is a limited duration work incentive, so when it 

comes to an end, the net worth (assets and resources) of the LLC would become a countable personal resource. The value of the business 

would likely be over the resource limit in any business that could produce an income for the owner significant enough to survive on without 

relying on SSI or Medicaid. 33 START-UP/New York and START-UP/USA communicated with SSA via email to obtain clarification on circumstances under which a STARTUP entrepreneur would be permitted to have a non-federal Individual Development Account (IDA) without jeopardizing SSI and Medicaid 

benefits. Although SSI does not exclude the resources of non-federal IDAs, both SSI and Medicaid do exclude the resources of federal Assets 

for Independence Act (AFIA) and TANF authorized/funded IDAs. Therefor the solution was to set the IDA up so it was trust-like in nature. The 

account required a signature by the IDA administrator as well as the individual for funds to be disbursed. And when the funds were 

dispersed, a check was made to the vendor of the particular item or service, the funds were not given to the individual. By doing that, the 

money the individual set aside in his or her IDA account was considered to be an excluded resource. SSA sent an email to START-UP staff 

stating, “if the funds are administered as described they can be excluded from income and resources and will therefore NOT affect an 

individual's receipt of SSI.” 

22 
 

Advisors (2010)34 and a chapter, "Inclusive Entrepreneurship" in Academic Entrepreneurship and Community 

Engagement (2011).35 

c. Legacy of START-UP/Alaska 

The management of START-UP/Alaska reported that employment and rehabilitation advisors in the state VR and 

employment security systems have been trained to support entrepreneurship for people with disabilities, and the 

know-how exists to enable entrepreneurship. Because of the networking among stakeholders in START-UP, 

working relationships now exist among involved agencies. A key legacy is attitudinal shifts and more knowledge 

and better understanding of what it takes to support small business development. The state’s VR agency was also 

trained in and adopted discovery from START-UP. Furthermore, counselors from all of !laska’s SBDCs received 

training from START-UP/USA in discovery, customized self-employment and Quick-Launch business plan 

development in 2009. The Virtual Business Incubator successfully provided not only training, counseling and other 

supports to potential entrepreneurs in remote areas of the state, but also invaluable post-START-UP support to all 

33 of those individuals who opened businesses. !laska’s Department of Disability and Senior Services put in a 

Medicaid waiver for the length of time self-employment supportive services could be provided. A selfemployment policy summit was also held in February 2010. Participants included representatives from !laska’s 

divisions of VR, employment security (AJCs), behavioral health, public assistance and business partnerships. These 

state agencies were joined by representatives from the University of Alaska, including the Center for Human 

Development (the research contractor), the Center for Economic Development and SBDCs. 

START-UP/Alaska also went on to secure complementary funding resources, much as START-UP/New York and 

START-UP/Florida did. Included were the Medicaid infrastructure grant, an economic development grant to the 

University of Alaska and a recent DOL ETA/ODEP Disability Employment Initiative (DEI) grant, which will expand 

self-employment efforts across the state. In addition, Alaska was awarded related grants, including one from SBA 

to develop a model for promoting the work of artists with disabilities and one from the Kessler Foundation to 

assist persons with traumatic brain injuries in pursuing self-employment. START-UP/Alaska was able to access 

funds from the Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority for capacity building and to support business startups. 

d. Legacy of START-UP/Florida 

Management of START-UP/Florida reported that silos have been bridged, and stakeholder agencies have 

developed working relationships. Key agencies previously operated in isolation. Now there are formal linkages 

between the organizations involved in supporting employment for people with disabilities. For instance, the 

Agency for Persons with Disabilities is now represented on the Board of Workforce Florida, Inc., which leads the 

state’s workforce system. The department of VR now has trained Certified Business and Technical Assistance 

Consultants (CBTACs) to guide people with disabilities interested in developing small businesses. Another 

important legacy of START-UP/Florida is the inclusion of the BOSS manual as part of the high school curriculum to 

encourage self-employment for people with disabilities, distributed by the Florida Department of Education. 

The state team at the University of South Florida and the state Department of Economic Opportunity (Formerly 

known as the Agency for Workforce Innovations) called on START-UP/ USA to explore reasonable outcome 

measures for AJCs considering the use of self-employment, and the workforce system went on to fund a trial of 

self-employment classes. The workforce system also funded a statewide demonstration project on selfemployment that began operations in 2010. Further technical consultation was given by START-UP/USA to several 

school districts, most notably the Martin County school district, which adopted methods of assessment 

(discovery) and self-employment (the BOSS manual) to explore self-employment with transition-age youth. 

Numerous other school districts across Florida and the country have also requested information from STARTUP/USA. The Florida department of VR was particularly supportive of START-UP/Florida and START-UP/USA and 

34 Published by New York Makes Work Pay, a statewide initiative intended to "dramatically improve the rate of employment among people
 

with disabilities funded by the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services.."
 35 Kingman, Bruce, Ed. Academic Entrepreneurship and Community Engagement. Edward Elgar, 2011.
 

23 
 

concurrently re-wrote its self-employment policy to expressly expand self-employment and funded staff 

development and certification for its vendor network. Through 2010, more than 100 vendors had received 

certification in self-employment.36 

Overall, the START-UP state demonstration projects used the influence of their grants to recommend and change 

policy. Figure 6 highlights examples of their impacts. 

36 Virginia Commonwealth University, START-UP Final Close-Out Report, December 10, 2010. 

24 
 

Figure 6: Highlights of START-UP Policy Influence 

Grantee START -UP Policy Influences and Recommendations 

37 START-UP/Alaska START-UP/!laska’s work resulted in changes to !laska’s Division of VR’s policy on self -employment plans 

(34CFR§ 361.5(a) (16)) (extended closure period from 90 to 180 days, clarif ied funding for business start -up, 

incorporated the discovery process into the initial plan development, and included financial literacy 

requirements). 

!laska’s Employment Security Division’s (ESD) policies will: 

offer space to SBDC counselors and trainers at AJCs; 

continue to use WIA funds when applicable for equipment and supplies necessary to complete 

training associated with development of a small business; 

seek participation in the Self-Employment Assistance (SEA) program offered through the 

Unemployment Insurance (UI) program to allow the state to pay a “self-employed” allowance, 

instead of regular UI benefits, to help unemployed workers establish their businesses and 

become self-employed; and 

seek a waiver to WIA Section 181(e) and 20 CFR 667.262, which prohibits the use of WIA funds for 

capitalization of businesses and similar activities that are not directly related to training for 

eligible individuals, so that allowance can be made for use of WIA funds for business 

capitalization costs. 

38 START-UP/Florida The Agency for Persons with Disabilities (APD) submitted a formal request for manual revisions t hat will allow 

supported self-employment to become an authorized service available through the Medicaid waiver. 

VR has worked cooperatively with APD to expand the role of VR’s T!s to be an authorized provider for APD 

customers pursuing self -employment. 

!PD policy uses VR’s supported self-employment manual as a guide for delivery of services, including a system 

of provider reimbursement based on benchmarks. 

39 START-UP/New York The Syracuse University/Whitman School of Management adopted the Inclusive Entrepreneurship course and 

components of the discovery model as a new core focus of the entrepreneurship teaching it offers through its 

curriculum and the services it provides through its business incubator in the community. 

The New York State Senate introdu ced two bills, S.6095 and S. 6096, on January 4, 2012 , aimed at dramatically 

expanding entrepreneurship opportunities for people with disabilities. 

40 START-UP/USA START-UP/ USA r equested clarification from SSA and implemented an interpretation by the SSA that LLCs can be 

excluded under the work incentive PASS . 

Worked with START -UP/New York to develop a policy of excluding non -federally funded I DAs from the SSI 

resource limits, which was accepted by SSA . 

37 Saunders, Rich. Alaska Works Self-employment Project – START-UP/Alaska Final Report. !laska Governor’s ouncil on Disabilities & Special 

Education, December 2010.
 38 From Action Plan to Address Recommendations Made By NDIF For Implementation by START-UP/Florida State Steering Committee, April
 

2009, attached to START-UP/Florida Quarterly Progress Report, March 31, 2009.
 39Onondaga County in partnership with the Burton Blatt Institute and Whitman School of Management. 

of Syracuse University. Inclusive Entrepreneurship, November 17, 2010. (Final Report of START-UP/New York.) 40 Virginia Commonwealth University, START-UP/USA Final Close-Out Report, December 10, 2010. 

25 
4. SELF-EMPLOYMENT SUCCESS STORIES FROM THE 

DEMONSTRATIONS 

As discussed previously, state demonstration sites assisted 194 entrepreneurs with disabilities in pursuing selfemployment. The following success stories anecdotally illustrate the variety of outcomes and impacts of the 

programs. 

START-UP/Alaska Entrepreneurs 

Elizabeth’s Story—Occupational Therapist 

Elizabeth, who has a visual disability, had a longstanding relationship with the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation 

(DVR) and had received assistive devices, including a computer to support wage employment as an occupational 

therapist (OT). Elizabeth's self-employment goal was to start an OT private practice. She had more than 16 years’ 

experience as an OT in various settings, including schools, nursing homes, hospitals and community agencies. 

Elizabeth decided to open a practice focusing on children with autism and sensory-processing disabilities. 

Her business gave her the control and flexibility that she needed, while also providing accommodations for her 

visual disability. A physical therapist and a speech and language pathologist offered to share their treatment space 

and equipment. Elizabeth also needed to purchase evaluation materials and additional equipment, such as a 

swing, spinner board, tilt board, sensory-tactile items and a sound system. Furthermore, she needed assistive 

technology (AT) to accommodate her disability, including a closed-circuit TV-camera system. Using the closedcircuit TV system, Elizabeth would be able to videotape the children in her practice and use the video to closely 

view her OT evaluations and treatment sessions. She also needed an AT device that could read journals and 

reports aloud, allowing Elizabeth to stay current in her practice. 

START-UP/Alaska assisted Elizabeth in developing her business plan and financial projections, as well as accessing 

additional funding from the Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority's microenterprise fund, which was approved. 

This funding also provided a match to the funds Alaska’s DVR was willing to provide for the business start-up. 

Jacquelyn’s Story—Dog Breeding and Grooming 

Jacquelyn made a life for herself in Alaska living off the land. After the Exxon Valdez oil spill, Jacquelyn went to 

Valdez to volunteer cleaning animals. She was one of the few individuals who could keep the baby sea otters 

alive. From this experience, Jacquelyn realized that she has a special gift for caring for small and fragile animals. A 

few years later, Jacquelyn purchased several Yorkshire terriers and a miniature poodle and began breeding them. 

Initially, this was only for pleasure, but eventually she began to sell the puppies of the registered parent dogs. 

Jacquelyn has a disability that sometimes limits her strength, and she was realistic that being in her 50s, she would 

not be able to live off the land indefinitely. She needed a reliable income. Jacquelyn was referred to STARTUP/Alaska by her counselor at the Alaska DVR. Subsequently, she took several classes offered by the Fairbanks 

SBDC. With the information she learned, she wrote a draft business plan. In it, Jacquelyn was able to articulate all 

the details of breeding and operations of her planned kennel, which would include indoor-outdoor runs, a 

security camera system for night monitoring, and equipment and supplies to care for her dogs, allowing her to do 

most of her own veterinary care. 

Jacquelyn agreed to be the first client to try counseling via the Internet. START-UP virtual incubator counselors 

assisted her with the financial management aspects of the plan and helped her to find funding for the supplies 

and equipment she needed. The plan’s financial projections showed that her kennel could bring in a reliable 

income to sustain Jacquelyn in her chosen lifestyle. With a sound business plan, DVR and the Alaska Mental 

Health Trust !uthority’s microenterprise grant program funded her start-up expenses, and Jacquelyn became a 

successful entrepreneur who is self-sufficient. With her new equipment and supplies, Jacquelyn was able to 

26 
increase her breeding to meet the market demand and plans to add grooming to her services. START-UP/Alaska 

helped her to customize her business to fit her own physical abilities and needs. 

Roberta's Story—Self-Employment Counseling 

Roberta was a communications and marketing consultant until a workplace accident left her with a traumatic 

brain injury and a visual impairment. After recovery, she realized that she needed a flexible schedule due to her 

disabilities, which included migraine headaches. The migraines made it necessary for Roberta to build in extra 

time for project completion and did not allow her to finish work with short deadlines. These concerns impacted 

her ability to hold a wage employment position. 

Roberta began pursuing options at the YWCA, where she connected with counselors at its Alaska Microenterprise 

Incubation (AMI) center. The AMI center provides women who work from home offices a chance to access a 

shared-use, private office space, away from children and the duties at home. Run by the YWCA Anchorage 

Women’s Finance Program, the center also offers workshops, seminars and other training primarily for women. 

Roberta audited the AMI center's intensive three-day training program and established a relationship with the 

staff. She also took the center's class on starting a business and considered the loan-guarantee program. After 

Roberta disclosed her disability, the AMI center referred her to START-UP/Alaska in June 2008 for information 

about available supports and funding. 

The START-UP facilitator and the DVR counselor worked with Roberta to help her understand that she needed 

assistive technology (AT) to accommodate her visual impairment. Roberta chose to access services from DVR and 

tribal VR on a plan to assess self-employment as an employment option. Together, the two agencies provided 

funding to support her business start-up. The two agencies also provided funding for a 12-week small business 

training course through the SBDC and bought office equipment needed while she investigated the feasibility of a 

consulting firm. Roberta submitted a grant request to the Alaska Mental Health Trust's microenterprise fund for 

the balance of funding needed to start her business. Roberta was awarded the grant and enrolled in two desktop 

publishing classes. 

As a result of this process, Roberta realized that there were other potential business owners who would need to 

submit business plans to VR programs and for funding, but who didn’t have her skills in developing a plan. She 

applied for and became a DVR vendor to help others with disabilities become self-employed. Roberta is now 

assisting DVR clients who want to become self-employed, as well as serving clients from the business community. 

By combining her business skills and passion, she is now able to help more people become small business owners. 

START-UP/Florida Entrepreneurs 

Ren’s Story—Fly Fishing Equipment 

Ren connected with START-UP/Florida when the SBDC suggested that he attend a training session it was 

offering on self-employment for individuals with disabilities. The training was sponsored by STARTUP/Florida and START-UP/USA and held at the AJC in Lakeland, Florida. After listening to the presentation, 

he realized that he could pursue selling handmade bamboo fly rods, this combining a personal hobby and his 

need for employment. 

The first step was to conduct a feasibility study. He then developed his business plan with input from STARTUP/Florida and START-UP/USA. Once the business plan was completed, it was submitted to VR for review. 

Based on this review, he received funding for start-up costs and opened for business on November 2, 2007 

specializing in the production and sales of hand-crafted, split-cane bamboo fly rods and handmade fly reels. 

START-UP/Florida also assisted him in writing a PASS, which was approved for an 18-month period. 

27 
 

START-UP/New York Entrepreneurs 

Greg's Story—Automotive Repair 

For 35 years, Greg and his father owned and operated an auto detailing and minor repair shop. After his father 

passed away, the business gradually decreased, and Greg experienced a debilitating back injury. As a result, he 

was unable to manage the physical demands of the business and sales dropped. Greg wanted to work. However, 

he did not want to close the business that he had built with his father. Since Greg owned the property, he decided 

to rent parking spaces to supplement the detail work. Because the business was not turning a profit, he applied 

for and began receiving SSDI benefits to supplement his wife’s earnings and to cover their basic monthly bills. 

In March 2008, Greg learned about START-UP/New York from another participant. The program’s Business 

Navigator supported Greg through a process of identifying and inventorying his strengths and conditions for 

employment. Greg began exploring how his current strengths could fit into an auto detail and minor repair 

business, while at the same time, identifying ways to provide accommodations for certain tasks. Through 

brainstorming, the idea emerged to build having employees into the business model and to diversify services. As 

his business ideas developed, Greg realized that he needed to complete a feasibility study. He had concerns that 

the business would not be able to bring in enough sales to pay for an employee. 

Greg was referred to the local Work Incentive Planner41 who specialized in understanding benefits related to selfemployment. Greg received some preliminary information about potential changes to his benefits if he decided to 

pursue growing his business. The next step was to include the SBDC, which was facilitated by the START-UP/New 

York Business Navigator. The SBDC counselor provided Greg support and structure for gathering the information 

needed to complete his feasibility study. During this process, Greg was encouraged to reach out and utilize his 

well-established network within the local auto industry to gather information on industry standards, trends and 

opportunities. Through this research, Greg identified a local auto mechanic who was interested in teaming up 

with him to offer state inspections and repairs at his shop. As Greg began to gather the feasibility information, it 

became clear to him that a market was still available in his community. He also realized that his business could be 

financially viable even with employees. 

Once Greg completed the discovery and feasibility phases, he felt confident about making a decision to build his 

business to a profitable level. Based on information he had gathered, Greg decided to continue offering detailing 

services and hire an employee to do the bulk of the work. To reach this goal, Greg needed a business plan to 

include the critical details of growing his business. He again talked with START-UP/New York, which 

recommended that he apply for assistance from the Inclusive Entrepreneurship class at Syracuse University’s 

Whitman School of Business. As a part of the class, students work in groups to support an entrepreneur with a 

disability. Together, Greg and the group identified four outcomes to include marketing segmentation; redesigning 

business cards, fliers and marketing communications; drafting a letter to potential fleet agency managers; and 

compilation and completion of a business plan. Over time, Greg implemented the first portion of his business 

plan, which included hiring an employee to perform auto detailing and minor repairs. 

Stella's Story—Restaurant 

Stella had been unemployed due to numerous foot surgeries and a lupus diagnosis. One day she went to the 

Women Igniting the Spirit of Entrepreneurship Center at Syracuse University, where she met a number of women 

who shared a variety of resources available to her as a minority woman. Upon further exploration, it became clear 

that Stella would like to start a taco restaurant. 

Stella was referred to START-UP/New York and met with the local Certified Work Incentives Planner. Stella 

attended a monthly workshop that provided an overview of available work incentives including a PASS. Stella 

41 SSA provided Community Work Incentive Coordinators (CWICs) in 102 locations around the country to assist with work incentive planning 

through its Work Incentive Planning and Assistance project (http://www.ssa.gov/work/wipafactsheet.html ). 

28 
received $785/month of SSDI. With an approved PASS, she could set aside $765 per month of her SSDI monthly 

benefit to pay for start-up expenses. After this was set aside, she would receive $761 per month of SSI and New 

York’s State Supplement to cover her monthly living expenses. The Work Incentives Planner assisted Stella in 

completing the PASS application and submitting it to SSA once she had her business plan completed, a required 

step for a PASS with a self-employment work goal. At the close of START-UP funding, Stella had located the ideal 

location and was refining her business plan. 

MJ's Story—Photography 

MJ’s mental health disability affected his ability to maintain and advance in employment. After years of 

experimenting with medications and counseling, he was able to stabilize his condition. Given his natural talent 

and interest in the arts, MJ determined photography and painting would be the best fit. While searching for help, 

MJ learned about START-UP/New York from the SBDC. He contacted the START-UP/New York facilitator, who 

then helped him to refine his business plan and to secure start-up funding. In April 2008, MJ was referred to the 

local Work Incentives Planner who helped him rewrite his PASS application. Eventually, MJ was able to 

accumulate enough start-up funds for initial operating expenses and photography equipment to enable him to 

launch a business. 

29 
5. POLICY AND SYSTEMS BARRIERS AND FACILITATORS OF THE 

TESTED INTERVENTIONS 

Expected Barriers 

In developing their projects, demonstration grantees faced a number of barriers associated with local operating 

conditions, the conflict between vision and reality that all systems change endeavors encounter, and barriers that 

could be attributed to federal and state program policies. 

Attitudes and Views. Each of the START-UP demonstrations began with an exploration of which organizations 

should be called upon to play a role in improving self-employment opportunities for people with disabilities. In 

most instances the key agencies that participated in START-UP (workforce development, VR and SBDCs) are 

separate entities that have their own priorities and performance expectations. While all have missions that can 

benefit people with disabilities, they routinely have not joined together to develop self-employment options for 

people with disabilities. All of the sites formed consortia, and there was variation in the length of time it took for 

agencies to cooperate and constructively pursue collaborative actions toward START-UP’s goals. Attitudes, beliefs, 

and views that self-employment was not possible or appropriate for people with disabilities was an obstacle to 

progress that grantees had to overcome with communication and education. 

Inconsistent Expectations. A consistent vision was not held by all parties involved as to what outcomes should be 

expected. One individual in a leadership position felt that the agencies bearing the funding burden to support selfemployment should be able to limit self-employment aspirations to entrepreneurs with the greatest earnings 

potential. Other individuals expressed views that an improved quality of life is a worthwhile outcome, and that if 

self-employment moved a person from an existing job environment that paid low wages and did not take 

advantage of their capabilities, the outcome should be considered positive regardless of income potential. This 

tension over what outcomes are reasonable remained among some of the consortia members over time. 

Know-how. All START-UP grantees mentioned that key players involved in service delivery generally had no 

formal training or depth of knowledge in what it takes to start a small business and what kinds of supports people 

with disabilities would need to succeed as entrepreneurs. Grantees spent considerable time and effort preparing 

and securing resources to assist grantees in entrepreneurship. A substantial amount of time was also spent 

identifying barriers and obstacles to self-employment on an individual participant level and on a systems level, 

including service providers. Each grantee had to conduct an exploration and analysis of the resources and systems 

available. Staff training and cross-system collaboration and capacity building remained a significant challenge. 

Inconsistent Performance Expectations. Support for entrepreneurship involved departments of VR, funded 

through the U.S. Department of Education; AJCs, funded by DOL; disability benefits, funded through the SSA; and 

resources and training, offered by SBDCs and funded through the SBA. Each of these organizations has different 

performance expectations under the Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA). Performance goals that 

strive to reduce dependency on government assistance benefits quickly are at odds with self-employment and 

entrepreneurship, which take time to develop. Except for SBA programs, none of the other stakeholders has 

explicit performance goals in support of self-employment. It is an acceptable outcome, but because of the lack of 

knowledge in assisting people with disabilities to pursue self-employment and the time it takes to develop a 

business, support for entrepreneurship remains a secondary priority for systems focused on achievement of 

employment outcomes. 

Policies that Lead to Financial Disincentives for Self-Employment. People with disabilities are concerned about 

the risk of losing disability benefits because of earnings from a small business. Government cash assistance 

programs provide a standard of living just above poverty, and earnings from self-employment can jeopardize 

eligibility for benefits, such as SSI and Medicaid, or reduce benefit amounts. Grantees felt overwhelmingly that 

such a low standard of living is not an incentive to remain on cash assistance benefits. Yet they observed that 

some people with disabilities feared that earnings from self-employment might not be sufficient to make up for 

30 
 

reduced or lost cash assistance and health benefits. Such concerns had to be addressed by grantees, and these 

concerns prevented some people with disabilities from pursuing self- employment. 

One grantee explored using IDAs to generate cash reserves for businesses, but found that participants must have 

earned income to qualify for matching IDA funds. The business launch phase is the worst time to expect earnings, 

but also the time that funds are most needed. One grantee was able to obtain matching funds through a 

foundation instead of through participants’ earned income, but was unable to use the foundation grant’s funds 

because IDAs require matching funds from earned income. 

Complicated Work Incentives. Federal work-incentive policies are geared toward wage employment and are very 

complicated relative to funding self-employment. Start-Up/USA spent considerable effort exploring this issue and 

counseling people with disabilities on how to work within the system. Although this obstacle was overcome in 

many instances for START-UP participants, the effort and resources to deal with it is a barrier for agencies and 

people with disabilities. Further, the amount of savings permitted to retain SSI benefits is set at $2,000, which is a 

very small cash reserve for a nascent business. 

Funding Challenges. Policies and funding in VR, Social Security, and Medicaid are geared toward wage 

employment and pose barriers to self-employment. VR programs offer limited funding, if any, for discovery. VR 

funding may be inadequate to cover initial start-up and ongoing costs. Social Security and Medicaid income and 

asset limits challenge entrepreneurs during the critical start-up phase of a business. 

Some interview respondents expressed concern about ongoing funding to continue support for self- employment. 

In observing the legacies of START-UP, greater success and continuity of support is observed in demonstrations 

sites where resources from universities, grants and foundations were used to continue START-UP efforts. The 

ongoing commitment and expertise of BBI at Syracuse University and the Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority in 

Alaska provided an ongoing funding stream to continue and expand services in support of entrepreneurship for 

people with disabilities. The absence of such expertise and non-government resources could pose a barrier to 

other locations seeking to support entrepreneurship. 

Unexpected Barriers 

Participants’ Views and Attitudes. Grantees reported that some people with disabilities held limiting views that 

prevented them from considering self-employment as a possibility. They had spent their lives being told "you 

can't" and did not believe it would be possible for them to own a business or become self-employed. Grantees 

expressed how gratifying it was for participants and for them to assist someone who never thought it would be 

possible to own a business, especially people whose talents and skills were underutilized in jobs with little to no 

potential for growth and advancement. Grantees also noted that in some instances, people spent two or three 

years in the system and were declared totally “unemployable” by the SSA. Because of this, they were not inclined 

to seek self-employment or any employment for that matter. Clearly, having been declared unemployable is not 

an incentive to seek employment. Overall, grantees spent more effort than they expected in addressing such 

concerns of participants. 

Language and Communication. By bringing together stakeholders from the business and social service 

communities, grantees found that language could be a barrier. Economic development partners like SBDCs and 

business incubators tend to use a different vocabulary, one related to market analysis, return on investment and 

business feasibility, than people with disabilities and service agencies, who tend to converse in terms focused on 

public benefits and work incentives. The term “mainstream,” for instance, has very different meanings to the 

business community and to the disability community. Thus, START-UP managers had to be sensitive to 

communication issues in managing the collaborative process.42 

42 Shaheen, Gary and Mintz, Jason. Mapping the Barriers and Facilitators to Self-Employment for People with Disabilities Living in Onondaga 

County, NY. September 14, 2007. 

31 
6. RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE FUTURE 

The emerging and growing promise of self-employment, documented by the individual and systemic outcomes 

achieved by START-UP’s three funded demonstration projects and national technical assistance center, raise the 

bar of expectations for all relevant stakeholders: government, the business community, service delivery systems, 

and people with disabilities and their families. 

The START-UP initiative set a new conceptual framework that recognizes the creative spirit and capacity of 

people with disabilities to be a part of the economic mainstream and contribute to !merica’s long-standing 

spirit of entrepreneurism. With access to appropriate supports and improved coordination of multiple, 

publicly funded service-delivery systems, people with disabilities can successfully pursue self-employment 

as a choice to produce income, create jobs, reduce their reliance on public benefits, advance their 

economic self-sufficiency, and improve the quality of their lives. As such, self-employment should be among 

the national disability employment policy priorities. 

To produce a long-term return on investment of the $5,000,000 expended on the START-UP initiative, 

recommendations that provide a road map for sustainable, systematic change at the local, state and federal 

levels are outlined below. The recommendations focus on policy and practice to accomplish three main 

objectives: 

1. Align policy across systems to reduce and eliminate barriers to individual exploration of 

entrepreneurial goals that encourage income production and advancement of economic selfsufficiency; 

2. Promote cross-system collaboration and braiding of resources to invest in business start-up and job 

creation for individuals with disabilities; and 

3. Encourage public- and private-sector investment in, and purchase of, products and services offered 

by businesses owned by people with disabilities. 

Policy Alignment 

Performance measures drive system behavior. Current federal performance measures for the public 

workforce system do not account for activities at a state or local level that encourage and support selfemployment outcomes. If self-employment is not a stated and measured outcome, agencies are not likely 

to give it priority and visibility. Reflecting this, the first recommendation is as follows: 

Recommendation 1: Consider requiring state and local workforce investment boards to collect exit data 

on self-employment outcomes and business start-ups with the number of jobs created. This would 

necessitate modifying common performance measures to include a new set of separate indicators for 

self-employment outcomes and wage employment outcomes, as well as milestones that support selfemployment outcomes, such as discovery and business plan development. 

RSA and SSA do collect information on self-employment for exiters of their respective VR programs and 

work incentive programs. However, the proportion of exiters in self-employment is very low, much lower 

than the incidence of self-employment in the general labor force. To improve the number of exiters in selfemployment, a second recommendation is as follows: 

Recommendation 2: Explore the possibility of having state VR agencies report annually to RSA on 

indicators of expanded capacity and support of customers with disabilities who are interested in pursuing 

entrepreneurial goals. To facilitate this, self-employment outcomes for VR, SSDI and SSI exiters should 

have a benchmark, such as the rate of self- employment in the general labor force. Benchmarks would 

also need to be established for critical groups, such as youth in transition and people with prior 

employment experience. 

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In general, the underutilization of PASS and other work incentives, as well as their complexity and 

cumbersome approval processes, may necessitate a rethinking and redesign. Reflecting this, a third 

recommendation is as follows: 

Recommendation 3: Seek ways to simplify the PASS process and make it friendlier to self-employment. 

For instance, SSA could require SSI recipients to opt out, rather than into, the design and creation of a 

PASS. This would require providing benefits advisement customized to individual needs that discusses the 

choice of self-employment as a work objective, provides linkages to supports and services that help 

explore entrepreneurship goals, and includes benefits planning assistance. 

Restrictions on savings and earnings for individuals receiving SSI benefits make it more difficult for an individual 

with a disability to accumulate funds needed to start and sustain a new business. PESS is an underutilized Social 

Security work incentive that does not count certain resources in determining continuing eligibility for SSI. 

Confusion exists as to whether SSI resource exclusion for PESS applies to business assets owned by an LLC. 

In response to the confusion, a fourth recommendation is as follows: 

Recommendation 4: Review legislation and SSA policies and guidance concerning income, resources and 

assets, in order to make them friendlier to self-employment. As part of this, SSA could issue guidance to its field 

offices, clarifying that assets owned by an LLC would not be counted in determining continuing eligibility for SSI 

to further encourage self-employment as an approach to advancing self-sufficiency. 

Several state and local agencies play an important role in preparing youth for employment and in providing 

services that prepare people with disabilities for employment. RSA-funded VR agencies have policies supporting 

wage employment but not policies tailored to self-employment. The low rate of RSA case closures resulting in selfemployment indicates that the policy infrastructure does not exist to support it as an outcome in state and local 

agencies. Policy alignment is needed at the federal and state levels to cultivate a nationwide infrastructure to 

produce higher rates of self-employment. Reflecting this, a fifth recommendation is as follows: 

Recommendation 5: Federal and state agencies could work to better align policies in support of selfemployment for people with disabilities. For instance, RSA could articulate policies specific to self-employment, 

including curricula for youth approaching transition, certification, and training for providers to guide people 

with disabilities in developing small businesses, and financial support for the small business development 

process, including discovery, business plan development, and implementation of business plans. In order to 

ensure effectiveness, RSA policy guidance could include cooperation and collaboration with other agencies that 

play a key role in self-employment, including SBDCs, Social Security, Medicaid, and AJCs. Policies of all involved 

agencies would need to be aligned to recognize that a self-employment outcome requires more time and 

specialized support than a wage employment outcome. 

Cross System Collaboration 

Lessons learned from the START-UP initiative document the challenges of multiple fragmented service 

delivery systems that make it more difficult at a community level for an individual with a disability to access 

needed services and supports to advance self-employment objectives. The lack of cross-system 

collaboration at the federal level contributes to this lack of cross-system collaboration at the local level. To 

improve cross-system collaboration, a sixth recommendation is as follows: 

Recommendation 6: Consider the establishment of, through a vehicle such as an Executive Order or 

Congressional directive, a time-limited work group or advisory committee that would be charged with 

setting an action-oriented agenda for improving cross-system collaboration to support self-employment 

for individuals with disabilities. The work group would include decision makers from the SBA, RSA, ETA, 

Office of Special Education and Rehabilitation Services, SSA, Economic Development Administration, and 

Centers for Medicare and Medicaid services. The work group could be facilitated by ODEP. At a 

minimum, this collaborative group would develop shared goals and propose policy changes. These would 

include, but not be limited to, proposing legislative and regulatory change, issuing policy guidance, and 

developing a budget and timeline for achievement. 

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One of the consistent observations of START-UP grantees was the lack of knowledge among counselors within the 

public workforce system about resources available to help job seekers interested in self-employment as an 

alternative to wages, and the lack of an explicit mission to support such ambitions. To resolve this problem, 

seventh and eighth recommendations are as follows: 

Recommendation 7: Consider developing a cooperative agreement for collaboration between ODEP and 

SBA and ODEP and RSA that promotes counselor education about self-employment as a career goal for 

individuals with disabilities and provides linkages to agency resources to customize assistance. 

Recommendation 8: Study the establishment of an entrepreneurship innovation fund with resources set 

aside by RSA, ETA, SSA, SBA, and EDA. This competitive fund would be used for grants demonstrating the 

commitment of multiple service delivery systems at a state level to coordinate resources and create a 

unified pathway geared toward entrepreneurship for people both with and without disabilities. The 

grants would support staff training and development, private sector matched investment, and 

streamlined service delivery systems. 

Public-Private Sector Investment 

The federal government and state governments are major purchasers of goods and services. Requirements 

of government procurement mandate that a prime contract includes a small business subcontracting plan. 

Most large businesses now have supplier diversity programs and set annual goals for purchasing from 

minority-owned businesses. But, little has been done proactively by government to build the capacity of 

small businesses that are owned by people with disabilities to compete and be valued subcontractors in the 

public or private sector. The U.S. Business Leadership Network (USBLN) Disability Supplier Diversity 

Program (DSDP) has created a certification program and database for disability-owned businesses, which is 

a step forward. Reflecting this, a ninth recommendation is as follows: 

Recommendation 9: SBA, ETA, and ODEP could consider working together to improve coordination 

between SBDCs nationwide and AJCs that provide training and technical assistance to individuals with 

disabilities who want to start and grow small businesses. The goal of this coordination would be to 

improve the ability of individuals with disabilities to compete for government procurement as prime 

contractors for small business set-asides and as subcontractors in larger competitions. Annual plans and 

reporting requirements could be developed to describe capacity-building activities and report 

quantitative outcomes. 

Access to capital is always a challenge for potential entrepreneurs. Financial institutions under the 

Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) have obligations to serve disadvantaged, low-income individuals in 

their geographic areas. Persons with disabilities are not a specifically-targeted class. To address this issue, a 

tenth recommendation is as follows: 

Recommendation 10: Consider clarifying by proposed rule changes stipulating that under the CRA, 

financial institutions must document their lending practices in support of small business start-ups owned 

by persons with disabilities. 

Future Research 

The START-UP initiative did not provide sufficient time to investigate long-term outcomes and critical 

barriers to success. More needs to be learned about effective cross-system collaboration and capacity 

building to advance entrepreneurship goals for people with disabilities. For example, strategies need to be 

investigated that could streamline financing and eliminate exclusions to cash and health care benefits and 

more needs to be learned about the barriers to access to capital for small business start-up and growth. 

Furthermore, start-ups need to be followed longitudinally to assess longer-range economic and individual 

outcomes and to identify significant barriers to sustainability and growth. At present, there is no centralized 

federal body that advances entrepreneurship for people with disabilities, and relevant agencies do not have 

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current research initiatives on the subject. Reflecting this, an eleventh and twelfth recommendation are as 

follows: 

Recommendation 11: Explore establishing a National Resource Center to Promote Entrepreneurship for 

People with Disabilities . This Center would conduct relevant policy research and investigate systems 

transformation issues as well as support training and provide technical assistance to states and the public 

workforce system to advances self-employment outcomes for people with disabilities. An annual report 

would update all relevant stakeholders, including the White House and Congress, on barriers and 

facilitators to self- employment and quantitative indicators of progress to date. 

Recommendation 12: The research budgets of relevant participating agencies (for instance, ETA, RSA, 

SBA, SSA and EDA) could set priorities to increase knowledge and understanding of effective policy and 

practices to support entrepreneurs with disabilities. 

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7. CONCLUSION 

The strength of the START-UP initiative was to begin to document the potential benefits of cross-system 

collaboration and the increased support of individuals with disabilities interested in self-employment. The 

proposed recommendations in this report focus on resource coordination and policy alignment to shape 

individual and system-wide behavior. A continued investment in research, capacity building and knowledge 

translation can empower people with disabilities to build self-sufficiency and pay an important role in our 

nation’s economic recovery. 

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8. Appendices
 

Appendix 1. START-UP/USA WEBCAST SERIES .............................................................. 40
 

Appendix 2. START-UP/USA FACT SHEETS .................................................................... 42
 

Appendix 3. START/UP USA SELF-EMPLOYMENT ONLINE COURSE................................ 43
 

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Appendix 1. START-UP/USA WEBCAST SERIES 

Each year of the project, START-UP/USA produced and streamed live webcasts for a total of 19 webcasts 

produced. These webcasts continue to be available through VCU's support even though funding has ended for the 

project. 

Webcasts were offered as a series to our stakeholders but they could also register for these as individual events. A 

total of 2,545 individuals participated in the webcasts during the course of the project. In 2007, there were a total
 

of 996 participants; in 2008, 840; and in 2009, 709 participants. 

YEAR ONE LIVE WEBCAST SERIES
 

A Self-Employment Success Story 

Number of Participants: 132
 

Family Support of Self-Employment 

Number of Participants: 138
 

PASS for Self-Employment 

Number of Participants: 131
 

Self-Employment: Vision, Partnerships and 

Creative Funding 

Number of Participants: 132
 

YEAR TWO LIVE WEBCAST SERIES 

Community Small Business Development 

Resources 

Number of Participants: 134
 

Community Rehabilitation Providers & Creative 

Funding for Self-Employment 

Number of Participants: 122
 

Family Support and Self-Employment 

Number of Participants: 132
 

YEAR THREE LIVE WEBCAST SERIES 

Negotiation Strategies for Business Owners & 

Promoters 

Number of Participants: 121
 

Inclusive Entrepreneurship 

Number of Participants: 114
 

Three Models of Self-employment 

Number of Participants: 125
 

WEBCAST ARCHIVES 

Entrepreneurship Resources and Services 

Number of Participants: 178
 

Developing A Business Plan for Self-Employment 

Number of Participants: 130
 

Self-Employment for Disabled Veterans 

Number of Participants: 155
 

Medicaid Waivers: A Tool for Self-Employment 

Number of Participants: 157
 

Small Business Development Center - Business 

Planning and Implementation 

Number of Participants: 146
 

Microloans & Small Business Loans 

Number of Participants: 149
 

The Customized Self-Employment Model 

Number of Participants: 116
 

Current Research in Self-Employment 

Number of Participants: 118
 

The Financial Side of Self-Employment 

Number of participants: 115
 

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After the live events, all webcasts were made available free of charge on the project's website. A review of the 

online statistics reveals that the archives have been used by 11,276 visitors with a total of 17,442 page views. The 

availability of the archives has significantly increased the reach of the project. 

Year One Webcast Archive - Available Online at: 

http://www.start-up-usa.biz/training/archivedWebcasts.cfm?yr=2007#info 

Year Two Webcast Archive - Available Online at: 

http://www.start-up-usa.biz/training/archivedWebcasts.cfm?yr=2008#info 

Year Three Webcast Archive - Available Online at: 

http://www.start-up-usa.biz/training/archivedWebcasts.cfm?yr=2009 

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Appendix 2. START-UP/USA FACT SHEETS 

Eighteen fact sheets and other resources were made available online during the project. These fact sheets 

continue to be available at: http://www.start-up-usa.biz/resources/index.cfm . A review of the web statistics 

shows that 12,866 individuals accessed the fact sheets during the length of the project with a total of 28,576 page 

views. 

Project Fact Sheets: 

1.	 START-UP/USA Self-Employment Q and A: Braiding and Blending Funding for Business Start-Up 

2.	 Self-Employment Q and A: Assistance not Assessment: Getting at the Heart of Small Business Feasibility 

3.	 Self-Employment Q and A: Small Business Development Centers 

4.	 Self-Employment Q and A: An Analysis of Self-Employment Outcomes within the Vocational
 

Rehabilitation System
 

5.	 Self-Employment Q and A: Low Cost/No Cost Marketing Strategies for Small Businesses 

6.	 Self-Employment Q and A: Selecting a Business Structure 

7.	 Plan to Achieve Self Support and Self-Employment 

8.	 Self-Employment Q and A: Information on Entrepreneurship for Youth with Disabilities 

9.	 Self-Employment Q and A: Discovery 

10. Person-First Considerations for Generating Small Business Ideas 

11. Self-Employment Q and A: Frequently Asked Questions from Families 

12. Medicaid Home and Community Based Services 

13. Disabled Veterans and Self-Employment 

14. Community Resources 

15. Successful Entrepreneurs with Disabilities Speak Out 

16. Accessing VR Services 

17. Develop a Business Plan 

18. Self-Employment 

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Appendix 3. START-UP/USA SELF-EMPLOYMENT ONLINE COURSE 

A total of 335 individuals participated in the online course that was developed by the project from April 2009 

through November 2010. The course was offered eight times during this time period. Of the 335 individuals who 

were enrolled in the online course, a total of 205 were individuals with disabilities who received the course free 

of charge. 

The last section of the course was specifically offered to individuals who belong to the MS Society, and a total of 

75 participants were enrolled. Based on the feedback from the participants, the MS Society began offering the 

online course to its participants throughout the U.S. beginning in 2011. 

The course is covering these important topics on self-employment and more: 

Strategies for Exploration and the Discovery Process 

Writing a Business Plan 

Conducting a Feasibility Study 

Accessing Community Supports 

Identifying Funding 

Using Work Incentives 

Lesson One: Self-Employment Overview 

Lesson Two: Social Security Work Incentives, Medicaid Waivers, and Self-Employment 

Lesson Three: Accessing Support Services from Vocational Rehabilitation and Community Rehabilitation 

Programs 

Lesson Four: Community Supports for Self-Employment 

Lesson Five: Quick-Launch Business Start-Up

Participating Agencies

Alaska Division of Vocational Rehabilitation

California Dept. of Rehabilitation

Chesterfield Vocational Services

Community Integrated Services

Community Opportunities

County of Summit Board of MRDD

DARS/Division for Blind Services Texas

DHS - Vocational Rehabilitation

DisAbility Resource Center

EmployAbility

Employment Resources, Inc.

Good will SWPA

Graves Consulting & Transition Services

Independent Abilities Center

Idaho Division of Vocational Rehabilitation

Illinois Assistive Technology Program

Independent Living Resources

Jackson County Developmental Center, Inc.

Jennifer Logan Rehabilitation Services

Kaposia, Inc.

Lane Community College

Minot State University

Missouri Vocational Rehabilitation

National Organization on Disability

New Directions

Northeast Michigan Comm. Mental Health 

Ohio Rehabilitation Services Commission

Oklahoma Dept. of Rehabilitation Services

American Job Centers

Progressive Community Services

Prince George County Public Schools

Radford University 

REACH-Inc.

Ridge Meadows Association for Community Living

The Cerebral Palsy Center 

The Polus Center

University of Massachusetts, Institute for Community 

Inclusion, Boston

United Cerebral Palsy of Michigan

Work-Able, Inc.

The Jewish Disability Empowerment Center
 

 

 

 

 

The online course served as the foundation for the development of Florida's online Certified Business and 

Technical Assistance Consultant (CBTAC) Certification for self-employment and the FL-CBTAC Re-certification 

Courses. In addition, this course was being replicated in both Texas and Ohio beginning in 2011. The appendix 

includes the outline for the course that is now available through Virginia Commonwealth University in 

collaboration with Griffin-Hammis, LLC and the Center for Social Capital. 

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