JAN is a service of the U.S. Department of Labors Office of Disability Employment Policy. 1 Self-Employment Strategies for Persons with Disabilities Kim Cordingly, Job Accommodation Network Russell Sickles, Job Squad Incorporated Brian Connaughton, Job Squad Incorporated

Presentation Overview Introduction of presenters and programs Variety of entrepreneurial strategies Importance of self-employment/small business to people with disabilities Why place matters in employment, economic development, and entrepreneurship West Virginia overview: the economy, small business, disability issues Job Squad: Experiences at the state and local level Questions and answers 2

Presenters Dr. Kim Cordingly Lead Consultant - Self-Employment Russell Sickles Director of Operations and Business Development Brian Connaughton Community Economic Development Manager 3

Using JAN Self-Employment Team Individualized consulting and resource materials based on specific needs Ongoing electronic and telephone access and support JAN entrepreneurship Website access For-profit, non-profit, customized employment, home-based businesses, and telework 4

Job Squad Incorporated Private nonprofit organization Community employment (wage and/or self-employment) and state, federal, and commercial contracts Community Economic Development Program: focused on customized employment and economic development approaches Provides Social Security benefits planning & analysis Uses Discovery – an individualized and customized method for work exploration with small business ownership or wage job outcomes (or both) 5

Entrepreneurial Strategies Entrepreneurship, small business ownership, and self-employment Integrated employment (e.g., competitive and self- employment) Customized employment Inclusive entrepreneurship Microenterprise development Home-based business Online business (e.g., Etsy, eBay) Business within a business Family business Non-profit organizations (e.g., social enterprise) 6

Entrepreneurship Why An Important Option? Customized approach Social Security & Medicaid advantages Accommodation opportunities Integration in community Employment creation Resolve transportation issues Autonomy and ownership Increased flexibility Economic development (e.g., hiring others with disabilities; job creation) Fulfills a dream and lifelong interests Enables continuation in ones chosen field of work 7

Place and the Economy 8

Economic Development Economic restructuring and development are place specific Rural communities affected differently by globalization Resource periphery and restructuring of coal industry Increase in service sector and contingent employment Livelihood strategies and informal economy Changes in economic activities and social relations (e.g., household changes, gender roles) Local responses to restructuring Push/pull into self-employment and home-based work (e.g., caregiving, job loss, create employment) 9

West Virginia Profile W.V. has one of the oldest populations in U.S. Wal-Mart is West Virginias largest employer It was anticipated 1 in 4 West Virginians would fall into poverty during the Great Recession W.V.s unemployment rate is at its highest rate in 16 years; 6.7 percent in April 2012 – many geographic variations 21.1 percent of households in W.V. are without sufficient net worth to subsist at the poverty level In early 2012, W.V. had the highest rate of home ownership in the country In late 2011, W.V. had five workers available for each job opening Between , 17.4 percent of persons were living below the poverty level; national 13.8 percent Without stimulus monies, 20,000 additional West Virginians would have slipped into poverty Currently, W.V. ranks 2 nd in the nation in U.S. (non-agricultural) job growth 10

Economic Geography of West Virginia Unemployment Rates by County in West Virginia, March 2012 Monongalia County 4.4% (higher education; technology; pharmaceutical; natural gas) Hancock County 12.9% (Fiesta tableware; former Weirton Steel) Hampshire County 8.6% (Agricultural; logging; tourism) Boone County 8.7% (Coal; tourism) 11

12 County Economic Status 2012

W.V. Small Business Statistics Most of W.V.s small businesses are very small; 74.6 percent did not have employees and most employers had fewer than 20 employees Small businesses employed 305,711 workers in 2009 While the employment situation was weak in , small businesses represented 53.1 percent of net new private-sector jobs In 2009, Morgantown placed 7 th in the country for best small metro area to launch a small business 75 percent of all businesses are non-employer businesses Self-employment surged over last decade, especially among women. Between , the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) invested nearly $43 million to promote entrepreneurship noting its importance to the future of Appalachia. 13

Disability Statistics in W.V. W.V. ranks 1 st in prevalence of disability among working age adults in the nation at 18.4 percent For those in W.V. living with a disability, the poverty rate is 32.6 percent; for those without a disability its 12.7 percent In 2009, the percentage of working-age civilian veterans with a VA service connected disability was 20.8 percent From , the percentage of the total population with a disability grew more in W.V. than any other state - growing 4.1 percent In 2009, the employment rate of working-age people in W.V. was 28 percent; the employment rate for those without a disability was 74.2 percent W.V. ranked 19 th in the nation in 2011 based on the strength of its Medicaid services for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities 14

Communities JSI Serves Can you talk about the communities JSI serves in W.V.? 15

Clients JSI Serves Can you describe in general the individuals JSI serves? - Types of disabilities - Age range - Types of work experiences - Social Security beneficiaries - Rural areas versus cities/towns 16

JSI - Economic Development JSI focuses extensively on a community economic development approach to providing customized services (e.g., wage and self-employment). Why is this strategy best suited to support people with disabilities in W.V. with their self-employment goals? 17

JSI – Steps to Self-Employment 1.Discovery 2.Benefits planning 3.Business plan development 4.Social Security work incentives (e.g., PASS) 5.Communities of support 6.Mentoring process 7.Financing 8.Ongoing support - sustainability 18

Creating an Entrepreneurial Economy What conditions or factors do you believe are most important in supporting people with disabilities interested in pursuing self-employment or small business ownership? Starting with the individual Access to capital Enabling culture Local network Supportive infrastructure Beneficial government policies (federal, state and local) Flexibility and experimentation in policy formation and practices 19

Using a Compensating Balance Loan JSI uses some innovative funding approaches. Could you talk more about the compensating loan program? Are there other innovative financing approaches your organization is considering? 20

JSI Success Stories 21

Forward Thinking… 22

Ask questions! 23

Using JAN Contact Job Accommodation Network (JAN) (800) (V) & (877) (TTY) AskJAN.org & Job Squad, Inc. (304)