To address chronically high unemployment rates for people with disabilities, policymakers have typically focused on training programs, employment incentives and similar solutions. A new bipartisan Senate bill takes a different approach, including provisions to help amputees and people with other disabilities start their own businesses.
With Disability Employment Awareness Month just around the corner, this timely legislation could help alleviate the significant shortage of disability-owned businesses: According to the 2022 Annual Business Survey, only 3% of U.S. businesses are disability-owned, well below the estimated 15% to 25% of the actual population with disabilities.
The Entrepreneurs with Disabilities Reporting Act would direct the Small Business Administration (SBA) to submit a report on the challenges and needs that entrepreneurs with disabilities face as they attempt to start or grow their small businesses. The bill, introduced by Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Cynthia Lummis (R-WY), would require the SBA to list the resources it currently provides to entrepreneurs with disabilities, the challenges it faces in meeting the needs of this community, and proposed legislation to enable the SBA to better serve entrepreneurs with disabilities.
“We should do all we can to provide Americans with disabilities with the support they need to start and grow small businesses and pursue entrepreneurial careers,” says Duckworth, who lost both legs in combat during the Iraq War. “By better understanding what entrepreneurs with disabilities need through better reporting, we can make more informed decisions and empower more people with disabilities to realize their entrepreneurial dreams — and boost our economy in the process.”
“Entrepreneurship is an important part of the American Dream, but a lack of resources often prevents many Americans with disabilities from owning their own businesses,” Lummis added. “Our bipartisan solution will help ensure Americans with disabilities can pursue their passions and realize their dreams of becoming business owners.”
Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of entrepreneurs with disabilities in the United States has decreased while the population of people with disabilities has increased. The causes of this decrease are not fully understood due to a lack of data. The Disability Entrepreneurship Reporting Act would provide information on the entrepreneurial barriers faced by people with disabilities and policy solutions that may increase opportunities for disability-owned businesses.
The U.S. House of Representatives has already passed an identical bill, the Entrepreneurs with Disabilities Reporting Act. “We worked hard to get our bill through the House, and I’m grateful that Senators Duckworth and Lummis worked with us to bring our bill one step closer to the finish line,” said Rep. Morgan McGarvey (D-KY), the bill’s sponsor.
The bill is supported by the following organizations: the Council of State Vocational Rehabilitation Administrators (CSAVR), the National Council on Developmental Disabilities (NACDD), the Center for CCD Law and Social Policy (CLASP), and Melissa Ortiz, founder of Capability Consulting and former Director of the Office of People with Disabilities at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
The full text of the bill can be found here.
