Entrepreneurship strikes people with mental illness too: The other SE

In February 2000, Business Week magazine published an article entitled, "Its Your Problem Too" about the challenges business owners and managers face when an employee experiences mental illness.  Soon after the article was published, a reader sent in a letter to the editor with the folowing headline:  "Mental Illness Strikes Entrepreneurs Too".  The writer points out how starting a new business venture can lead to serious stress that can lead to anxiety and depression  and its impact on productivity.

Let's turn that headline upside down: "Entrepreneurship Strikes Persons with Psychiatric Disabilities Too".  The evidence-based practice, supportive employment (SE) is a well-documented tool in helping persons with psychiatric disabilities secure and maintain employment.  Competitive employment based on consumer choice is the goal of SE and studies show that fully implementing SE often leads to success for 40 to 60 percent of those who participate in these programs.  Since personal preference is an essential element of SE, all possible income-producing options should be made available to clients, including entrepreneurship.  Below is a statement from the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Disability Policy (ODEP):

"Self-Employment has long been an option for individuals seeking a new or better career.  And today, many individuals with disabilities are turning to the flexibility self-employment offers in assisting them to meet both their professional and financial goals.  Starting one's own business can offer similiar flexibility, allowing people to make a living while maintaining   alot of latitude in choices such as work hours, nature of tasks and income.  As a result, ODEP encourages access to funding and resources to assist individuals with disabilities interested in these alternatives to traditional employment."  www.dol.gov/odep/Self-EmploymentEntrepreneurship.htm

It should be noted that self-employment for persons with disabilities (the other SE) creates a work environment where the entrepreneur sets the terms and conditions of employment as well as assuming the financial and other risks involved.  Reasonable accomodations for persons with psychiatric disabilities generally include taking frequent breaks, flexible work hours, visiting a physcian, therapist or support group on short notice and other personal wellness strategies.   If the business owner decides that working late for long stretches of time one day while their energy level is high  but then taking two days off in a row is more productive for them personally, then they can plan their work accordingly.  Furtheremore, as in any business, other people can be hired to perform tasks that the owner cannot or chooses not to do.  For example, if the owner is primarily a craftsman, but not skilled in bookeeping or other adminstrative tasks, paying someone else (including a family member) to handle such tasks should be built into the business plan.

Cary Griffin and David Hammis in a fact sheet that is part of the online resources of StartUP USA entitled, "Self-Employment Q and A:  Assistance not Assessment:  Getting to the Heart of Small Business Feasibility" makes a compelling case for moving beyond traditional vocational rehabilitation and SE practices when working with clients who choose self-employment.  The details of their approach can be found at www.start-up-usa.biz/ .  StartUp USA is a publicly funded collaboration between ODEP,  the Commonwealth University of Virginia and Griffin Hammis and Associates LLC  that  provides education and technical support for persons with diabilities who choose to become entrepreneurs.

In 2000, David Needleman, founder of Jet Blue airlines disclosed to CNN television about having adult attention deficit disorder.  However, he explains that with the disorganization, procrastinantion and inability to focus and all the other bad things that came with the disorder , there also came creativity and the ability to take risks. (SiliconIndia blog, March 2012).  No doubt there are many persons with disabilities who have ideas and dreams that with help from family, peers, VR professionals and others who see being their own boss as a way to earn  income on their own terms.  People who choose the 'the other SE' will not only contribute to their own recovery and financial well-being, but create more economic opportunity for all of us.