(This article contains excerpts from No More Job Interviews! Self-Employment Strategies for People with Disabilities, by Alice Weiss Doyel (2000). Used with permission of the publisher, Training Resource Network, Inc. To order, see information below.)

Even when the economy was strong, three-fourths of the people with moderate to severe disabilities remained unemployed. Not surprisingly, many people with disabilities see small business ownership as their chance for economic self-sufficiency.

Self-employment is never easy, and there are increased challenges when the business owner has disabilities. Business owners with disabilities need to find ways to operate their businesses successful in a competitive environment. A few years ago I saw my own disabilities become more severe. I knew that I needed to find ways to run my company more effectively. My years of experience as a small business consultant helped me develop the concept of Whole Business Accommodations. I realized that as business owners with disabilities, we must create workplace accommodations which take into consideration the success of our entire business.

Whole Business Accommodations permeate the full scope of the business.

** Operations planning should include accommodations for the owner's disabilities. These accommodations are not just for the physical attributes of the office, e.g., access, furniture, equipment. These accommodations should take into consideration the people who will be part of the business, or closely associated with it. Whether they are business partners, associates, employees, vendors, family members or support providers, these people are an integral part of making the business work. Their roles in supporting the business owner with disabilities must be integrated into their business functions through the business planning process.

** Marketing capabilities are often affected by the ownerˇ¦s disabilities. Determining potentially effective marketing approaches during business planning will allow the company to test and determine the best ways to reach and sell to customers. Some people with disabilities believe that an Internet website is the answer to their marketing challenges. However, the Internet should almost always be used as a secondary marketing approach. There must be direct marketing either by the owner with disabilities, by other company owners or employees, or by sales representatives in order to create a successful marketing effort...

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Department of Labor [SGA/DFA 03-102] 20 – 50 Grants of $100k -$500k Work Incentive Grants for addressing infrastructure inadequacies and programmatic access of the One-Stop system for people with disabilities, including grant funds available for procuring assistive technology. Applications due March 28, 2003. Contact B. Jai Johnson at (202) 693-3301.

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Established in 2002 by Labor Secretary Elaine L. Chao, the award recognizes organizations or individuals who have demonstrated exemplary and innovative efforts in furthering President George W. Bush's New Freedom Initiative employment objectives. Complete eligibility criteria and nomination guidelines were published in the Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2003 issue of the Federal Register. Interested persons may also request a copy of the Federal Register notice by writing to the U. S. Department of Labor, Office of Disability Employment Policy, Room S1303, Washington, DC 20210. The deadline for receipt of nominations is May 15, 2003

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Employment statistics indicate that there are thousands of people with disabilities who are unable to find work in spite of millions of dollars spent annually on government-funded training initiatives. At the same time, many employers suggest they cannot find qualified people with disabilities to fill job vacancies. This study strives to build new and better connections between these parties so that employers can meet their human resources objectives, and people with disabilities can find the jobs they’ve been looking for. The researches are seeking input from people with disabilities who are employed, unemployed, self-employed, or not even looking for work.

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The American Association of People with Disabilities has partnered with Microsoft to provide students with disabilities with internship opportunities in the Information Technology field. Similarly, partnering with the Mitsubishi Foundation and Johnson & Johnson, they have developed internship opportunities on Capitol Hill. Application deadline for both is March 17.

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Make Them Go Away examines the case against disability rights. What are its main arguments? Where do they come from? And what is the other side?

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HR Magazine recently published an informative article on attention deficit disorder - and the issues posed to employees/employers. A summary of this article is on the National BLN Website.

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Virginia Commonwealth University's WorkSupport.com features video clips of business leaders, "BizNet Ambassadors", promoting the Business Case for employing people with disabilities.

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March is MENTAL RETARDATION AWARENESS MONTH and the start of DEAF HISTORY MONTH.

March 17 - 20, Los Angeles, CA: "Technology and Persons with Disabilities" widely-acknowledged as the premiere conference on technology and people with disabilities. Sponsored by the Center on Disabilities at California State University, Northridge

March 19 - 20, Baltimore, MD: Ready, Work, Grow National Workforce Conference - Join over 750 workforce professionals from across the nation as we work to help people overcome barriers and build careers.

March 21 - 23, Toronto, ON: Excellence through Equity Conference - addressed to university administrators, faculty, staff, and students who wonder about equity and diversity issues in their environment.

March 30 - April 2, Palm Springs, CA: Job Search Training - The Oasis in the Desert - Annual Conference of the Association of Job Search Trainers (AJST)

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Author: Alice Weiss Doyel (183 Pages, Softcover) $29.95

Writing from the perspective of a business owner with a disability, Alice Weiss Doyel lays out a bold plan. Aimed at people with disabilities who want to start a business and the employment specialists who support them, No More Job Interviews! explores in detail the essential employment option of self-employment.

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Author: Denise Bissonnette (380 Pages, Softcover) $21.95

Generously sprinkled with poetry, parables, penetrating questions and practical suggestions, The Wholehearted Journey equips us for a life of greater joy and authenticity. Perspectives on the themes of The Wholehearted Journey are enriched through the inclusion of quotations from over 400 writers, philosophers, teachers, poets, politicians, spiritual leaders and other sages. Simply put, this is a personal retreat in a book. Each chapter focuses on a particular quality of soulful living and offers a self-contained tutorial for applying it to everyday life and work.

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