Disability Employment Awareness Must Include Disabled Entrepreneurs

Written by Margaux Wosk – Award Winning Autistic Entrepreneur & Advocate | Cast Member On The Assembly | President of BC People First Society | Designing Accessible & Inclusive Products at ShopRetrophiliac.com

October 20, 2026

Every October, I see conversations about National Disability Employment Awareness Month focused on getting disabled people hired, creating inclusive workplaces and helping people find employment.

But as a disabled entrepreneur, I rarely see myself included in these conversations. Most of what I see is about working for an employer, and it leaves out people like me who are self-employed.

I think it is ableist to treat employment as though there is only one way for disabled people to work. Self-employment is employment, too. Disabled people should not have to fit into one model of work to have our employment recognized.

I am autistic and disabled, and I am self-employed because traditional employment was difficult for me to navigate. Running my own business gives me a way to work, but that does not mean I can do every part of it without support.

I have a math learning disability, and I need help with bookkeeping and accounting. These are essential business expenses. I need support with the financial side of running my business, and I should be able to access that support without having to take on debt.

People can talk all they want about National Disability Employment Awareness Month, but until disabled entrepreneurs can access grants to support their businesses and subsidies to cover essential expenses, I will continue to see it as lip service.

Loans are not the answer for everyone, and employment programs focused on getting people hired do not address the barriers I face as a self-employed person. We need funding that recognizes the realities of running a business while disabled, including the cost of services that help us manage disability-related needs.

As President of BC People First, I believe disabled people should have a say in how employment is discussed and supported. That includes those of us who are self-employed. We should not be missing from conversations about disability employment simply because we do not work for an employer.

For some disabled people, self-employment is the only way to access the accommodations we need to work. Being able to set our own schedules, work in an environment that meets our needs and structure our work around our disabilities can make employment possible when traditional workplaces have not. That does not mean we should have to manage every aspect of running a business without support.

I want to see disabled entrepreneurs included in NDEAM, not just mentioned as an exception. We need meaningful access to grants, subsidies and practical support that make self-employment sustainable.

Recognition is not enough. Disabled people deserve the resources to do the work we have chosen, and self-employed disabled people deserve to be part of the disability employment conversation.