Social enterprise businesses: A strategy for creating good jobs for people with disabilities

Issue title: Proceedings of the 25th Annual APSE National Conference

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Katz, Elaine E.

Affiliations: Kessler Foundation, West Orange, NJ, USA

Note: [] Address for correspondence: Elaine E. Katz, MS, CCC-SP, Kessler Foundation, West Orange, NJ 07052, USA. E-mail: Ekatz@kesslerfoundation.org

Abstract: Over the last ten years, there has been tremendous growth in social enterprise businesses, defined as nonprofit or for-profit business ventures that strive to achieve a quantifiable double bottom line of financial and social returns. In many cases, these are revenue-generating businesses run by nonprofit organizations that understand and already provide services to the individuals they would employ through the business. Social enterprise businesses are self-sustaining and adopt commercial strategies to increase their effectiveness. This approach has been particularly promising in creating new opportunities for individuals with disabilities in emerging industries and increasing employment of people with disabilities. The purpose of this article is to describe and profile two different models of social enterprise businesses funded by Kessler Foundation that employ people with disabilities in integrated settings earning market-driven pay rates.

Keywords: Social enterprise, social ventures, mission-driven business, employment

DOI: 10.3233/JVR-140670

Journal: Journal of Vocational Rehabilitation, vol. 40, no. 2, pp. 137-142, 2014