Supporting persons with disabilities in entrepreneurship

This policy brief, prepared by the OECD and European Commission, explores the potential of entrepreneurship policy to support the labour market participation of people with disabilities. Disabilities vary widely in type, severity, stability, duration and time of onset, and these characteristics influence individual capacities and willingness to be active in the labour market. Self-employment can be appropriate for some in this population because it can provide more flexibility than paid employment in terms of workload, work schedule and work location, which can allow for better management of disability and lifestyle. This brief provides an overview of the policy rationale for entrepreneurship support for people with disabilities and provides a brief overview of the scale and nature of self-employment activities by people with disabilities and suggests potential actions for governments.