1 of 9

Entrepreneurship for Youth with Disabilities (EYD) Curriculum Extension Guide

Asianna Griffin (Occupational Therapy)

Advisor: Joanna Keel

​

1

2 of 9

Importance

  • Entrepreneurship is important for people with disabilities because they deserve the opportunity to channel their interests and create a product/service to achieve economic independence and increased autonomy.

​

  • Barriers to entrepreneurship & self-employment include lack of formal support from Vocational Rehabilitation counselors, lack of money and infrastructure to set up business, and discrimination (Fabricio et al., 2023).

​

  • This curriculum extension guide was developed because current course instructors wanted students to feel more prepared before tackling the actual curriculum and it was a way to give students an idea of what running a business entails before committing to the curriculum.

​

​

​

​

​

2

3 of 9

Background of EYD

  • EYD supports entrepreneurship and self-employment for youth with disabilities from low-income communities.

​

  • Students are expected to create a business proposal at the end of the course and if successful are granted funding from EYD to start up their business.

3

4 of 9

Project Objective and Timeline

Objective: Allows students to preview the curriculum before taking the course

​

Spoke with EYD team and teachers to identify what gaps needed to be addressed.

Identified that the goal was to focus on developing students’ interests & presenting mock business activities.

Created worksheet activities to address developing a student’s interest and characteristics of a good entrepreneur.

Measure total participation, engagement, and look at worksheet completion.

4

5 of 9

Products Created

​

​

  • Entrepreneurship Survey
  • Characteristics of a Good Entrepreneur
  • Strengths & Interest Activity

5

6 of 9

Products Created (cont.)

  • Discover your Ikigai “Reason for Being”
  • What I Know, What I Want to Know, What I Learned (KWL) Chart

​

6

7 of 9

Addressing the Gaps

  • Students are given the opportunity to explore their own interests and determine what product/service would be best to create a business from.

​

  • These business ideas are a viable option for ways for these students to pursue their interests while achieving economic independence.

  • The EYD team grants funding for students’ businesses, prepares them for meeting with vocational rehab counselors, and becomes a support system for them as they start their business.

7

7

8 of 9

Measuring Impact

  • Do a program evaluation
    • Assess how many participants engaged in the extension guide compared to those who simply took the course
    • Survey teachers for implementation
  • Analyze worksheet completion and if the mock business ideas were used for the final business proposal
  • Interview participants and ask about key takeaways from extension guide

8

9 of 9

References

  • Balcazar, F. E., Murthy, S., Gibbons, T. M., Sefandonakis, A., Renko, M., Parker Harris, S., & Caldwell, K. (2023). Supports and barriers that entrepreneurs with disabilities encounter when starting their businesses. Rehabilitation psychology, 68(1), 91–101. https://doi.org/10.1037/rep0000479
  • Ortiz García, P., & Olaz Capitán, Á. J. (2021). Entrepreneurship for People With Disabilities: From Skills to Social Value. Frontiers in psychology, 12, 699833. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.699833
  • https://eyd.ahs.uic.edu/

​

​

9