According to the Federation of Small Businesses’ 2022 ‘Business without Barriers’ report, 25% of small business owners are disabled or have a health condition, with disabled-owned small businesses accounting for 8.6 per cent of the turnover of all UK businesses.
Alongside these figures, 23% of disabled people or those with a health condition have experienced discrimination or negative treatment in the workplace. 52% have experienced a barrier due to being disabled or having a health condition, such as being unable to commit to consistent hours or meet short deadlines (34%), applying for financial support (15%), and getting access to equipment (11%).
Due to a lack of accessible employment prospects, self-employment is a popular employment opportunity for many disabled individuals, with a prevalence of disabled entrepreneurs looking to start their own businesses.
Despite this, the required support to do so is often found lacking, with disabled entrepreneurs less likely to access business support than their peers without disabilities, with the absence of accessibility within many traditional forms of support being a consistent barrier.
Following on from last month’s Disability Awareness Month, as we take the crucial steps as a business community – and a society – to alleviating some of the burdens our entrepreneurs and innovators who have a disability face in starting their own businesses, it is vital we amplify the call for accessible business support for disabled entrepreneurs.
The government’s ‘Access to Work’ scheme sets out to support disabled individuals with the extra costs of working/getting work if you have a disability or health condition. Support includes grants to help pay for practical support with your work, support with managing your mental health at work, and financial support to pay for communication support at job interviews.
Our new ‘Barrier-Free Business Start-Up: Access to Work Funding’ Programme is designed to support Oxfordshire-based individuals with disabilities in exploring how they can utilise Access to Work funding to initiate their own businesses. While the programme will touch upon business planning, its primary focus will be on leveraging Access to Work resources effectively. Participants will also have the opportunity to engage with OxLEP’s broader business start-up support network.
This programme will feature three online workshops accompanied by one-to-one support, with the goals of the programme to:
- Provide individuals with disabilities the knowledge and resources they need to start their own businesses.
- Boost confidence and self-reliance among participants, enabling them to pursue entrepreneurial ventures.
- Educate participants on the Access to Work funding process, including its benefits, eligibility criteria, and application process.
- Help participants understand and navigate the Access to Work funding application process effectively.
- Identify and address specific barriers and challenges that participants face in starting their businesses due to their disabilities or health conditions.
- Guide participants in articulating their support needs and outlining potential accommodations or services required to address these challenges.
- Offer supportive business planning advice tailored to individuals with disabilities.
- Connect participants with additional business start-up resources and support networks, such as those provided by OxLEP.
- Ensure that information about Access to Work funding and business start-up support is accessible and inclusive to all potential participants.
Each of the three workshops will be accompanied by a detailed presentation to ensure participants can follow along and absorb the information effectively. The presentations will be designed to be engaging, accessible and informative, featuring a mixture of text, visuals, and interactive elements.
