State of Disabled Entrepreneurship and Innovation Resources

21.3% of persons with a disability were employed in 2022, which is up from 19.1% in 2021
In 2022:
- Persons with a disability accounted for 12% of the civilian noninstitutional population
- Employed persons with a disability were more likely to be self-employed than those with no disability
- 9.5% of disabled workers were self-employed in 2022, compared to 6.1% of workers without a disability
- Employment-population ratio for persons with a disability increased by 2.2% from 2021, reaching 21.3%
- Highest employment-population ratio on record
- 30% of workers with a disability were employed part time
- Unemployment rate for persons with a disability was 7.6%, which is 2.5 percentage points lower than the 2021 rate
- Jobless rate was twice as high for disabled individuals than for individuals without a disability
  - Data marker composed of unemployed persons without a job, were available for work, and were actively looking for work in the 4 weeks preceding survey

“This toolkit provides an inventory of existing materials, advice and guides for those jobseekers with disabilities ready to become self-employed, launch a new enterprise, or develop their entrepreneurial skills.”

National college entry rates for young people with disabilities are 15.5% lower than the overall enrollment rate.
In 2019, 19.3% of people with disabilities were employed, compared to 66.3% of non-disabled people.

The American Community Survey (ACS) estimates 1.8 million adults with disabilities own small businesses.
Remember: SSDI recipients risk losing their benefits if their assets exceed $2,000.

Increasing access to self-employment can be done by identifying and utilizing motivations for self-employment, having increased training and support, improving vocational rehabilitation services, and supporting people in taking risks.

Resources from The Harkin Institute for Public Policy & Citizen Engagement