Disabled entrepreneurship and self‑employment

Highlighting the disproportionate risk of poverty faced by disabled individuals in the EU, this paper delves into the employment challenges they encounter. With employment rates for disabled individuals trailing significantly behind those for non-disabled individuals, their workforce potential remains underutilized across Europe. Recognizing self-employment and entrepreneurship as viable pathways to labor market integration, the paper explores current data showcasing higher self-employment rates among disabled individuals. However, high self-employment rates do not necessarily mitigate poverty risk. The paper examines barriers to entrepreneurship for disabled individuals and proposes leveraging technology to enhance accessibility and inclusion, offering policy recommendations to foster sustainable self-employment opportunities.