People with intellectual disabilities as business owners: A systematic review of peer‐reviewed literature

Abstract

Background Microenterprises are very small businesses requiring little capital and can be an employment pathway for people with intellectual disabilities. This systematic review aims to identify the facilitators, barriers and outcomes from microenterprise. Method Web of Science, Scopus, EconLit, PsycINFO and ProQuest were searched to identify peer‐reviewed studies on microenterprises owned by people with intellectual disability published up to and including 1 October 2019. Results A total of 1080 papers were independently screened by two reviewers. Six papers met the inclusion criteria. Barriers included lack of access to business expertise and resources, and the tension between growing microenterprises and maintaining eligibility for welfare payments. Formal and informal supports were key facilitators. Outcomes experienced included additional income, skills development, increased confidence and engagement in meaningful activities. Conclusion Additional research is required to develop an evidence base which may support investment in this employment pathway, making microenterprise more accessible to people with intellectual disabilities.

How entrepreneurship drives life satisfaction among people with intellectual disabilities (PwID): a mixed-method approach

“…However, our findings add nuance to previous research by highlighting the need for entrepreneurship to go hand in hand with GET to allow PwIDs to have enhanced LQ and job satisfaction levels. Nevertheless, many other specific dimensions of LQ (Rice et al, 1985) could have been evaluated in this study; entrepreneurship can have an immediate, strong impact on the economic, technological and work-life domains, but a more indirect impact on institutional or social LQ, so we agree with Hutchinson et al (2020) that more research is required to analyze the impact of GET on LQ among PwID who are entrepreneurs.…”

Contribution of Entrepreneurship to the Social Integration of People Intellectual Disabilities: A Case Study Based on the Analysis of Social Networks

“…Our work is eminently descriptive because what we are looking for is a study of the relationships between entrepreneurs and their networks. As future lines of inquiry, we will analyze, following the evidence pointed out by Hutchinson et al (2021), whether these new relationships provide these entrepreneurs with a better quality of life and greater integration within their social environment.…”

“…Among PwD, PwIDs are particularly vulnerable as they "tend to be largely sedentary and passive with negative implications for their self-confidence, constructive engagement time, environmental sensory input, and social status" (Lancioni et al, 2017 p. 282). However, previous literature on entrepreneurship among this group of PwID in the growing body of empirical research on entrepreneurs with disabilities (EwD) is almost non-existent (Hutchinson et al, 2021). This lack of knowledge presents policy makers and practitioners involved in the promotion and development of entrepreneurship among PwID with a challenge in developing effective strategies and programs (Bagheri and Abbariki, 2017).…”

Empowering Physically Disabled People in Vietnam: A Successful Microenterprise Model

“…Globally, microenterprises have proven to be one of the most significant means through which people on low incomes can escape poverty [12,[20][21][22], offering a pathway through economic empowerment and the creation of wealth. Furthermore, microenterprises for disabled people have been shown to provide a range of personal outcomes, such as independence and enhanced confidence and selfesteem [23,24]. However, Lingelbach, De La Vina and Asel (2005) [25] argue that policy approaches alone to entrepreneurship development, particularly in developing countries, may not be beneficial.…”