Self-employment and economic leadership as two promising perspectives on rural disability and work

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Tom Seekins, | Nancy Arnold,

Affiliations: Research and Training Center on Rural Rehabilitation, University of Montana, Missoula, MT 59812, USA

Note: [] Rural Institute on Disabilities, 52 Corbin Hall, Missoula, MT 59812, USA. Tel.: +1 888 268 2743

Abstract: A defining difference between rural and urban circumstances for people with disabilities involves opportunities for work. One of the most significant elements of the rural context is that economic conditions in rural communities consistently trail the national economy. This paper presents an overview of disability in rural America and outlines an ecological model for guiding the development of rural solutions to rehabilitation problems. Two promising examples of such solutions, self-employment as a rural vocational rehabilitation employment option and rural economic leadership by people with disabilities, are outlined.

Keywords: rural, economic development, disability

Journal: Work, vol. 12, no. 3, pp. 213-222, 1999