Microenterprising and People with Disabilities: Strategies for Success and Failure - Statistical Data Included

Journal of Rehabilitation, April-June, 2001 by Richard T. Walls, Denetta L. Dowler, Kimberly Cordingly, Louis E. Orslene, John D. Greer

Table 1

Categories of Disability of Callers
Seeking Information Concerning Self-Employment

Type of Disability            Percentage

Back Condition                   12.6%
Accident/Injury                  11.8%
Quadriplegia                      7.7%
Multiple Sclerosis                6.9%
Attn. Deficit Disorder/LD         5.7%
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome            4.9%
Arthritis                         4.1%
Stroke                            4.1%
Amputation                        3.7%
Cerebral Palsy                    3.7%
Paraplegia                        3.3%
Head Injury                       2.4%
Mental Illness                    2.4%
Cumulative Trauma                 2.4%
Diabetes                          2.0%
Fibromyalgia                      2.0%
Eye Disease                       2.0%
Congenital                        1.6%
Heart Condition                   1.6%
Cancer                            1.2%
Epilepsy                          1.2%
Polio                             1.2%
Chemical Hypersensitivity         1.2%
Knee/Leg Impairment               0.8%
Other                             9.5%

Total                           100.0%
Table 2

Categories of Functional Limitations of
Callers Seeking Information Concerning
Self-Employment

Functional Limitation      Percentage

Handling/Fingering              18.3%
Low Vision                       6.1%
Sitting                          6.1%
Lifting                          5.3%
Grasping                         4.9%
Mobility                         4.9%
Standing                         4.9%
No Vision                        4.2%
Use of One Hand                  3.4%
General/Nonspecific              3.0%
Overall Body Weakness            3.0%
Reduced Concentration            3.0%
Back                             2.3%
Walking                          2.3%
Lower Extremity                  1.9%
Reading                          1.9%
Upper Extremity                  1.9%
Learning                         1.5%
Balancing                        1.1%
Climbing                         1.1%
Environmental Illness            1.1%
Hard of Hearing                  1.1%
Mathematical Calculation         1.1%
Operating Foot Control           1.1%
Speech                           1.1%
Carrying                         0.8%
Memory Loss                      0.8%
Neck/Trunk                       0.8%
Pushing/Pulling                  0.8%
Reaching                         0.8%
Respiratory Distress             0.8%
Squatting/Bending                0.8%
Stress Intolerance               0.8%
Vision/One Eye                   0.8%
Other                            6.2%

Total                          100.0%
Table 3

Type of Information Requested by Callers to the Job Accommodation
Network

Type of Information Requested Percentage

Accommodation (Equipment/Products)               42%
Self-Employment Info Packets                     33%
Funding for Business                             10%
Legal                                             9%
Accommodation (Funding)                           3%
Other                                             3%

Total                                           100%