This article investigates the effect of disability on progress in the start-up process. One person out of 10 has a disability, yet entrepreneurship literature remains silent on the contributions of this population. This is surprising given that people with disabilities are more likely to be self-employed than the general population. Results from the Panel Study of Entrepreneurial Dynamics show that start-up efforts by nascent entrepreneurs with disabilities are less likely to result in the emergence of a viable organization, indicating that nascent entrepreneurs with disabilities face particular challenges.

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Social entrepreneurship is a growing trend, reflecting a shift in contemporary policy towards entrepreneurship as viable employment option for people with intellectual disability (ID). Entrepreneurship is intended to promote autonomy, reduce dependence on entitlement-based services, and reduce employment disparities while stimulating business and job creation. It is not well understood what this means for people with ID involved in social entrepreneurship. Dyadic interviews were conducted with people with ID participating in social entrepreneurship (n = 7) as well as their key support person (n = 7). Interviews focused on understanding outcomes in social entrepreneurship for people with ID, or “what happens when they act.” In particular, this article explores perceptions of profit/self-sufficiency, growth, and social innovation to challenge how outcomes have been traditionally assessed.

The current economic climate demands more innovative approaches to increasing labor market participation for people with disabilities. Social entrepreneurship offers one alternative pathway to employment. However, little is known about the motivational and attitudinal factors influencing social entrepreneurship for people with disabilities. Using empirical data from focus groups comprised of social entrepreneurs with disabilities, and interviews with key stakeholders working in the fields of policy, disability, and business, this research frames its analysis in the intersection of disability studies and entrepreneurial studies to explore: what motivates people with disabilities to pursue social entrepreneurship, if they continue to encounter attitudinal barriers and discrimination, and whether motivational and attitudinal factors affect their social entrepreneurship. Findings indicate that despite social entrepreneurship having been promoted as a strategy for circumventing employment discrimination, the individuals with disabilities in this research continued to encounter attitudinal barriers and discrimination affecting their employment decisions. Future research should focus on interrogating what might be gained in the spaces where need and opportunity intersect and exploring the extent to which motivations overlap for social entrepreneurs with disabilities in theory, policy, and practice.