Self-employment as a solution for attitudinal barriers: A case study

Issue title: Telework Research and Practice: Impacts on People with Disabilities

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Quinton, Melanie C.

Affiliations: 3333 West Pensacola Street, Building 100, Suite 140, Tallahassee, FL 32304-2800, USA. Tel.: +1 850 487 3278 x 107; Fax: +1 850 575 4216; E-mail: mquinton@faast.org

Abstract: This paper uses a case study to examine attitudinal barriers to employment and underemployment. We follow the career path of PR, a woman with multiple physical impairments, as she seeks financial independence through several employment strategies. In these, she faced attitudinal barriers and employment situations without opportunity for advancement. Eventually, PR opens her own business, turning to an alternative loan program to acquire the funds necessary to purchase a ready-made vehicle that matches her needs for accessible transportation. Use of this vehicle to provide delivery services for her business has more than doubled her income.

Keywords: Attitudinal barriers, new horizon loan program, disabilities, employment

DOI: 10.3233/WOR-141861

Journal: Work, vol. 48, no. 1, pp. 127-130, 2014