Sage Journals: Discover world-class research

Abstract

In 2001, an exploratory survey was distributed to more than half of all Small Business Development Centers (SBDCs) across the United States to identify how SBDCs and Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) agencies interact to provide self-employment services to people with disabilities and to evaluate how these agencies might further this collaborative relationship. Despite a low percentage of SBDCs that have formal interagency agreements with state VR agencies (8%), the majority of respondents (93%) felt that it was “very important” to have VR assistance for disability issues. SBDC respondents who had formal state interagency agreements or an informal local agreement with the VR agency reported higher rates of referrals between the two agencies, more experience serving people with disabilities in self-employment, and more preparedness to meet the needs of clients with disabilities. Data from this study indicate that SBDCs may be willing partners in the development of cross-agency support for people with disabilities who desire self-employment.

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Arnold, N. , & Ipsen, C. (in press). Self-employment policies: Changes through the decade. Journal of Disability Policy Studies.

Axner, M. , & Berkowitz, B. (2002). Community tool box: Promoting coordination, cooperative agreements, and collaborative agreements among agencies. Retrieved on April 23, 2002, from http//ctb.lsi.ukans.edu/tools/en/sub_section_main_1229.htm

Center for Effective Collaboration and Practice. (1998). Building collaboration in systems of care (Vol. 6). Retrieved March 9, 2002, from http://cecp.air.org/promisingpractices/1998monographs/execsumvol6.htm

Clark, P. , & Kays, A.J. (1999). Microenterprise and the poor: Findings from the Self-Employment Learning Project five year study of microentrepreneurs. Washington, DC: Aspen Institute.

Cohen, J. (1988). Statistical power analysis for the behavioral sciences. Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum .

Dillman, D.A. (2000). Mail and internet surveys: The tailored design method. New York: Wiley.

Froehlich, R. , & Linkowski, D. (2002). An assessment of the training needs of state Vocational Rehabilitation counselors. Rehabilitation Counseling Bulletin , 46, 42—50.

Gates, B. (1999). Business at the speed of thought. New York: Warner Books.

Garten, B. (1999). One world, ready or not. New York: Simon & Schuster.

10.

Health Systems Research, Inc. (July, 2000). Coordination strategies handbook. Washington DC: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Service.

11.

Ipsen, C. , Arnold, N. , & Colling, K. (in press). SBDC experiences and perceptions: Providing service to people with disabilities. Journal of Developmental Entrepreneurship .

12.

Kassel, K. , & Gibbs, R. (1997). Rural nonfarm earnings edge up. Rural Conditions and Trends, 7, 22—24.

13.

Manser, M. , & Picot, G. (1999). The role of self-employment in U.S. and Canadian job growth. Monthly Labor Review, 122, 10—25.

14.

Melaville, A. , & Blank, M. (1991). What it takes: Structuring interagency partnerships to connect children and families with comprehensive services. Washington, DC: Education and Human Services Consortium .

15.

Rehabilitation Act of 1973, 29 U.S.C. § 701 et seq. (1973) (amended 1998)

16.

Rehabilitation Services Administration , 911 data: 1990—2000 [Data file]. Washington, DC: Rehabilitation Services Administration.

17.

Rifkin, J. (1995). The end of work: The decline of the global labour force and the dawn of the post-market era. New York: Tarcher/Putnam.

18.

Rummel, R.J. (1970). Applied factor analysis. Evanston, IL: Northwestern University Press.

19.

Seekins, T. , & Arnold, N. (1999). Self-employment and economic leadership as two promising perspectives on rural disability and work. Work: A Journal of Prevention, Assessment, and Rehabilitation, 12, 213—222.

20.

Small Business Development Centers. (2002). SBDC mission and overview. Retrieved January 9, 2003, from http://www.sba.gov/sbdc/mission.html

21.

United States Census Bureau. (2000). Self-employment income in the past 12 months for households: Census 2000 supplementary survey summary tables. Retrieved January 31, 2003, from http://factfinder.census.gov

22.

Walls, R.T. , Dowler, D.L. , & Cordingly, K. (2001). Microenterprising and people with disabilities: Strategies for success and failure. Journal of Rehabilitation , 67, 29—35.

Self-Employment for People With Disabilities

Abstract

Get full access to this article

References