People with disabilities are traveling a powerful avenue for breaking through barriers and finding success: entrepreneurship. Their successful businesses are crumbling stereotypes and delivering innovations to the marketplace.-By Jeremiah Prince

People with disabilities continue to struggle to find acceptance and inclusion in the world’s workplaces. So, it is unsurprising there is a growing list of names of successful entrepreneurs with disabilities. Starting and growing their businesses allows them to use their talents, demonstrate their resilience, and apply their creativity to develop inclusive innovations for people with and without disabilities. Entrepreneurial success also demonstrates their ability to overcome barriers to achieve financial independence and show the world what a truly inclusive workplace can look like. In Europe, the United States, Canada, and Asia, entrepreneurs with disabilities are making a positive impact in unique ways and proving “with disability” does not mean “not able.” The following are four examples of entrepreneurs with disabilities who are making a true difference in the lives of others and society in general.

Harnessing Unique Entrepreneurship Experiences in Europe

European entrepreneurs with disabilities highlight personal achievement while challenging social stereotypes by building businesses promoting inclusion. Martyn Sibley in the United Kingdom describes himself as “a regular guy who happens to use a wheelchair due to Spinal Muscular Atrophy.” He has experienced societal exclusion, feelings of inferiority, major spinal surgery, inaccessible housing, and a need to raise money for mobility equipment.

Deciding to stay positive, Sibley earned a BA in Economics and a master's degree in marketing. Combining his experiences and education, Sibley founded Purple Goat Agency, an international inclusive marketing company. The agency works with some of the biggest brands in the world, such as Tesco, Google, Braun, Unilever, Virgin Media, and many others. The staff, half of which have a disability, develop innovative and inclusive marketing and advertising campaigns for diverse audiences that have embedding authentic representation of disability.

Empowerment Through Entrepreneurship in North America

American Arielle Rausin was paralyzed from the waist down at the age of 10 after a car accident. After getting her first racing wheelchair in high school, Rausin began competing, which carried into college when she joined the University of Illinois’ wheelchair track team. During a class project, Rausin got the idea for making wheelchair gloves for athletes using 3D printing. Wanting to get more people with disabilities involved in adaptive sports, she founded Ingenium Manufacturing in 2016 to design and produce wheelchair racing gloves using 3D printers. Initially, the gloves were custom-made for elite athletes, but the company now offers gloves for a broader audience, including wheelchair racing beginners and youth. The company has sold thousands of gloves in dozens of countries.

In Canada, Luke Anderson co-founded The StopGap Foundation, a nonprofit that makes spaces accessible to people with mobility challenges. A civil engineer, he experienced a mountain biking accident that left him paralyzed from a spinal cord injury and in a wheelchair. His mobility issues quickly made him familiar with barriers to the built environment. The StopGap Foundation was founded on the idea of building portable, brightly colored wooden ramps that could be used at business entrances with single steps. The first project was the Community Ramp Project, which designed, built, constructed and painted ramps for 12 businesses for free. Today, the nonprofit supplies ramps to businesses, parks, government agencies, and more, and it has supplied more than 2000 ramps globally.

Anderson’s work goes beyond ramps. He also advocates for inclusive urban planning, promotes the importance of barrier-free spaces, and inspires people to consider accessibility in all aspects of design and infrastructure. The main office is at the Centre for Social Innovation, based in T’karonto, the Ancestral Wendat territory and the shared territory of the Anishinaabeg and the Haudenosaunee, all covered by treaty.

Demonstrating Resilience Through Entrepreneurship in Asia

In India, Divyanshu Ganatra went blind from glaucoma when 19 years old. After losing his sight, he refused to believe that he would have to spend the rest of his life making cane furniture and chalk pieces. So, he founded Adventures Beyond Barriers Foundation (ABBF), a not-for-profit. The social enterprise promotes inclusion through adventure sports such as paragliding, cycling, scuba diving, and marathons.

ABBF organizes inclusive adventure events that bring together people with and without disabilities, helping break down social barriers and promote mutual understanding. Over 15,000 people have participated in events, increasing their self-confidence and self-acceptance. The enterprise strives to promote societal attitude shifts and enhance employment opportunities for people with disabilities. Ganatra and his team use a multifaceted approach to true inclusion based on four verticals: the individual (celebrating achievement), the corporate (shattering misconceptions and fostering acceptance), research (using the adventures for data analysis, academic research, and studies), and skill building (enhancing confidence and nurturing talent).

Never Saying Never

Entrepreneurship takes many forms around the globe, but everyone mentioned has one thing in common. They are unwilling to let others define their abilities based on their disabilities. The entrepreneurs are personally driven to lead their best lives, leveraging their disabilities to improve the lives of others. Entrepreneurship in any form is empowering. It allows people to control their work environment, develop inclusive, innovative products and services that address the challenges of people with disabilities, challenge stereotypes, and create job opportunities for others with disabilities. Their workplaces also bring people with and without disabilities together to work toward common goals. This is crucial to driving a more equitable and just society.

The four people mentioned are just a sample of the incredible work being done to redefine limiting and exclusionary societal perceptions about people with disabilities. No matter what culture is involved, biases and stereotyping continue to exist despite public dialogue and workplace education programs. The entrepreneurs with disabilities are taking a new approach to bringing about social change. They are showing by their actions and success that people with disabilities are able people. The entrepreneurs are role models, showcasing how society can be if it becomes inclusive.

Entrepreneurs like Martyn Sibley, Arielle Rausin, Luke Anderson, and Divyanshu Ganatra are demonstrating in their part of the world that with the right opportunities and determination, people with disabilities will build successful businesses that benefit not only themselves. They create broader societal change. There are millions of entrepreneurs with disabilities globally, like the four named, and they are all playing a crucial role in shaping a more accessible and inclusive future.