How would the ENABLE model explain the phenomenon where people with disabilities are more likely to be entrepreneurs?
People with disabilities are more likely to be entrepreneurs. The ENABLE model provides a framework for understanding accessibility breakdowns and the resulting burden placed on disabled individuals1. The ENABLE model explains how systemic inaccessibility cultivates skills and conditions that can lead to entrepreneurial endeavors as a form of response and survival.
Here's how the ENABLE model would explain this phenomenon:
Necessity as the Mother of Invention (Post-launch Compensations):
When designers, developers, and decision-makers neglect accessibility, disabled people are left to "carry the cost" and "shoulder" the labor. This often translates into "post-launch compensations," which are "acts of survival people are burdened with when accessibility is an afterthought". These compensations require significant ingenuity and problem-solving. For instance:
User Workarounds are described as "invisible labor -- cleverness born from exclusion, which shouldn't be necessary". Users might create custom scripts, browser extensions, or alternative interaction flows to bypass inaccessible features, demonstrating a high level of technical and creative problem-solving. The ability to "debug, install, and configure third-party tools" just to accomplish a task highlights significant self-reliance and technical acumen.
Switching to Alternatives occurs when a system is "inaccessible and unfixable from the outside," forcing users to abandon it and seek or create alternatives. This act of "survival" highlights a market gap and the drive to find or build solutions where mainstream options fail. The sources note that switching often "comes with high emotional, social, financial, and cognitive costs" but is a path taken when "no other recourse" exists. For those with the privilege (digital literacy, financial resources, time, and energy), this may involve creating a new, accessible service or product.
Filling Market Gaps and Driving Systemic Change:
The ongoing experience with inaccessible systems makes disabled individuals uniquely positioned to identify unmet needs and develop solutions. The ENABLE model emphasizes that accessibility barriers are "the everyday reality of billions of people". This lived experience provides a deep understanding of market opportunities for inclusive products and services.
Dedicated Support for Disabled Entrepreneurs (Manifestations):
The sources list several "Manifestations" -- real-world examples of "care or survival" -- that directly support or are examples of disabled entrepreneurship, demonstrating a recognized trend and ecosystem:
2gether-International is an accelerator where "Disabled founders join their accelerator to secure mentorship and investor interest that bakes accessibility into new startups". This initiative explicitly aims to integrate accessibility into new ventures from the outset, highlighting entrepreneurial activity within the disabled community.
Enable Ventures is "the first impact venture fund dedicated to closing the disability wealth gap while achieving competitive, market-rate returns". This fund explicitly ties investment tranches to "measurable inclusion metrics" like WCAG audits, user testing with disabled participants, and disability hiring targets. Its existence underscores the potential for disabled individuals to be founders and that capital is being directed to support their ventures that prioritize accessibility.
In summary, the ENABLE model would explain the phenomenon of people with disabilities disproportionately engaging in entrepreneurship as a direct outcome of systemic inaccessibility. The constant need for "acts of survival" and "compensations" fosters exceptional problem-solving skills, ingenuity, and a keen awareness of market gaps. This, coupled with specific initiatives aimed at supporting disabled founders, creates a pathway for individuals to not only overcome barriers but also to build the inclusive solutions that mainstream systems often fail to provide.