Disabled entrepreneurs: What support is on offer?

Not so long ago, disabled people who wanted to start up their own business were taken less seriously than Billy Connolly on stage, according to disability charity Leonard Cheshire. Today, 3.6 per cent of businesses have one or more disabled owner, representing roughly 10,700 companies, employing around 78,000 people.

But with a number of barriers still facing disabled entrepreneurs, there is still a long way to go before they gain equality. Susan Scott-Parker, chief executive of the Employers Forum on Disability, says disabled people are often turned down for funding. "One guy reported that his bank had told him that with his condition, he probably wouldn't live long enough to pay back the loan. The bank had assumed disability was synonymous with illness and death."

Funding bodies have also been reported to discriminate against disabled people on the grounds of credit history, particularly where they've received benefits for some time.

"Then there's the assumption that the only reason disabled people are trying to set up their own business is because they can't find employment," says Scott-Parker.

Meanwhile, Simon Stevens, who has cerebral palsy and runs Enable Enterprises in Coventry, says: "I think the severity of my impairment has made it hard for me to be taken seriously. It can take a long time for people to get past the image of someone who wears a helmet and drools."

Such stories have inspired a growing number of organisations such as Leonard Cheshire to introduce a specialist service. Its Ready to Start programme has the initial aim of getting 600 disabled people nationwide into self-employment over the next three years. "Each participant is given a full programme that covers every key stage of starting a business, along with a business mentor from Barclays Bank," explains Mark Bishop, Leonard Cheshire's head of corporate partnerships. "The idea is that they wind up with a greater chance of persuading the right people that their business will be a success."

For disabled people who have mobility problems, initiatives such as Business Boffins' Consortium For Enterprise Outreach project are proving helpful. "We have a free service to help disabled people and carers into start-ups. As part of this service, financed with EU funding under the Leonardo da Vinci programme, we've just run a year-long pilot for disabled people," explains Dr Tracey Marr, director of community enterprise at Business Boffins.

The 23 people taking part ranged from a jewellery maker to a psychologist. "Training materials were sent every week and the course, accredited by Oxford Brookes University, taught them skills in everything from planning to management." The pilot has been a great success, adds Marr.

Amar Latif, who is blind and runs Traveleyes, a Leeds-based business specialising in travel for blind and partially sighted people, says: " Visual impairments can prove particularly problematic in running your own business. I have found one of the key barriers is accessing information on the websites of suppliers."

Liz Cook, who is also visually impaired, adds: "My business, Iris, is a digital archiving service and people often ask me how blind people can make sure they do this accurately. They hold this myth that blindness means everything or nothing, whereas the reality is that I can see large letters on a screen, for instance."

Cook, who runs her business from London, has managed to win some hefty contracts not only on the back of her expertise, but by persuading companies that using her business is an alternative to charity donations. "I explain to them that by using a social enterprise firm like us, they not only get a great service but they use a company that employs disabled people who would probably not otherwise be employed," she says.

But other entrepreneurs object to being treated as "charity cases." Colleen Aird runs Mine!, a branding, design and photography company in West Yorkshire. "The first time I approached my local press to tell them I was starting up a new company, they weren't interested," she says. "When I rang back and said I had Parkinson's, I had 10 photographers on the doorstep. Why should I have to use my illness to generate marketing awareness?"

Gordon Rhodes, who heads Enham Business Ability, points out another obstacle - time. "Many support programmes are time-bound, but things like hospital appointments and fatigue can hold people up, which is why we work with people at their own pace."

Since its introduction in July 2001, Enham's programme has assisted in the development of over 800 enterprises, which today enjoy an estimated combined annual turnover of £15m.

Terri Harris, who is epileptic, used Enham to help kick-start her business, Little London Studios, a recording studio in Hastings. "One of the most helpful things they did was put me in touch with local business centres so that we could network," she says.

Mainstream organisations such as the Prince's Trust and Business Link are also increasingly focusing on disabled entrepreneurs. "We are currently working with the Disabled Entrepreneurs Network to consider what would be best to put in place," says Ashley de Safrin, client services manager at Business Link London, who reports that they have found self-belief to be a major hurdle for disabled people.

Because many disabled people report facing discrimination in education, specialist services are attempting to train individuals before they get to the business plan stage. And in an attempt to ensure that young people consider entrepreneurship, organisations such as NFTE (National Foundation for Teaching Entrepreneurship) deliver programmes in schools. "We focus on getting people to think about what kind of businesses they'd be successful in and on getting work experience and training," says Joanne Martin, who delivers the programme in Highfurlong School, Blackpool.

Learning disabilities can be a particular problem for budding entrepreneurs, reports Vince Scaife, community inclusion officer at Leeds-based charity HFT. "It's only in the last decade that people with learning disabilities have been living in their own houses. They still present a culture shock for some people."

But he is optimistic that things are changing, having seen five of their service users successfully start up a catering business called Café Bella.

With such difficulties facing disabled entrepreneurs, it's not surprising that many give up before they've even started. "Even once people have come on a support programme, many decided to drop out," says Alastair Irvine, business incubation manager at Action for Blind People.

But for those who do decide to go for it, many are reaping the benefits. "Because I have MS and a chronic pain condition, I get fatigued a great deal. Working for myself is ideal because it means I can have a nap, then go back to work," says Andrew West, a teddy bear artist who runs the award-winning Westie Bears company.

Meanwhile, Peter O'Neil, who runs Barnsley-based Madhouse Software, a provider of technology to enhance the lives of people with disabilities, says: "I have a condition that makes my arms and legs rigid and it's my experience of this that has given me the insight required to provide these products. You could say my disability gives me added value."

'When I saw what worm farming involved, I thought, I can do that!'

When bus driver Martin Phipps (left) had a prolapsed disc, he feared he was stuck on incapacity benefits for life. But his mother spotted an advert for the Shaw Trust, the UK's leading provider of employment services for disabled people. Coincidentally, a friend had also planted a seed in his mind that he'd make a good worm farmer.

"When I saw what worm farming involved, I thought, I can do that!" he says. "Then, through the Shaw Trust, I learned that I could work without affecting my benefits for a year and I got a £200 job start grant. In addition, my personal development adviser managed to source a hydraulic log splitter so that I could also run a log supply business without damaging my back. Most importantly, the Shaw Trust is still available to give me advice, help and encouragement."

Phipps reports that worm sales are doing very well, with bigger and bigger orders coming in. "I've also opened a fishery, which goes hand-in-hand with the worm farm. It's such a thrill running my own business - a bit scary at times too, but that's part of the thrill."