Self-Employment as Self-Advocacy and Self-Care

Written by Jenine Lillian, #ActuallyAutistic Neurodiversity Consultant & Educator 

www.jeninelillian.com and BCPF Society Board Member: Regional Director - Kootenays 

For many disabled and neurodivergent people, traditional employment comes with barriers that have little to do with our skills or ability to contribute. 

Rigid schedules. Sensory overload. Inaccessible workplaces. Long commutes. Unnecessary meetings. Expectations of constant availability. Having to repeatedly explain our needs or ask for accommodations. 

Sometimes the problem isn't our ability to work. Sometimes it's the way work is structured. 

For some of us, self-employment offers a chance to design work around ourselves rather than trying to fit ourselves around work. That can make it a form of self-advocacy. It can also be a form of self-care. 

Self-Employment Can Provide Control 

One of the potential benefits of self-employment is greater control over the conditions in which we work—our environment, hours, workload, and boundaries. That might mean managing lighting, noise, or scent; working from home instead of commuting; scheduling around when energy and focus are strongest; or protecting time for rest between commitments. 

For me, this has meant building a 100% remote business run from my home office, with no work travel and no daily commute. My business operates Sunday through Thursday, with Friday and Saturday off. I don't schedule meetings on Mondays or Fridays, and I protect Sunday as a meeting-free, email-free focus day for curriculum development, writing, website work, and bookkeeping. 

These aren't indulgences. They're examples of work structured intentionally, for sustainability. Accessibility includes control over when and how we engage with work—not just where we do it. 

Full-Time Work Isn't Sustainable for Everyone 

There's an assumption that working a full eight-hour day, five days a week, is the standard everyone should aspire to. But that isn't sustainable for many disabled people. 

Being able to work doesn't mean being able to work at full capacity for eight hours straight, five days a week. And the time spent recovering from work should be part of the conversation about whether an arrangement is sustainable. 

For some people, reduced hours aren't about doing less—they're what makes it possible to work consistently without exhausting all available energy. Work is only one part of life. A sustainable arrangement should leave energy for relationships, community, rest, and simply being a person. When work consumes everything we have, it may be employment, but it isn't necessarily sustainable. 

From Isolated to Empowered 

Disabled people can spend a lot of time feeling isolated rather than empowered—separated from workplaces, excluded from professional networks, or worn down by being told what we can't do. 

Self-employment isn't a cure for isolation; working independently can deepen it if we don't intentionally build connections. But entrepreneurship can also create opportunities to build businesses, networks, and professional identities on our own terms. Access to information, mentorship, and practical tools can help shift the experience from simply being accommodated to being empowered. 

We don't need another message telling disabled people to try harder. We need practical ways to identify what's getting in our way, find strategies that work, connect with others, and take the next step. 

Self-Advocacy Can Mean Designing a Different Life 

We usually think of self-advocacy as speaking up: asking for accommodations, explaining our needs, challenging discrimination. All of that matters. 

But self-advocacy can also mean recognizing what we need and making decisions that support it. Instead of asking an employer for a quiet workspace, we may be able to create one. Instead of asking to start earlier, we may be able to structure our own schedule. Instead of negotiating reduced hours, we may be able to build a business around the hours we can sustainably work. 

This isn't possible or the right choice for every disabled person. But for those who choose it, making these decisions for ourselves can be empowering. 

Self-Care Is Part of the Business Plan 

There's a persistent idea that successful entrepreneurs should work constantly: get up early, work late, hustle, say yes to everything. That model isn't sustainable for anyone—and for disabled and neurodivergent entrepreneurs, the cost of trying to maintain it can be even higher. 

Ignoring our needs to appear productive just means spending the rest of our time recovering. Self-care means treating energy as a business resource. If we do our best thinking at a particular time of day, we protect that time. If meetings deplete us, we limit them. If we need a controlled sensory environment to focus, we create one. Self-care isn't something that happens after the work is done—it's part of how the work becomes possible. 

Doing Business Differently 

This is one of the reasons I developed my upcoming three-part Doing Business Differently workshop series through the Inclusive Workplace and Supply Council of Canada (IWSCC) - Canada's national supporter of Disabled-Owned and Veteran-Owned businesses, working to improve access to opportunity and reduce the barriers these entrepreneurs face. 

The series grew out of hundreds of conversations I've had with entrepreneurs about their pain points and where they get stuck. Rather than another long list of things people should be doing, each session focuses on practical, immediately usable steps while recognizing there's no single right way to build a business, market services, or build professional relationships. All sessions are free and held over Zoom. 

Marketing for Mere Mortals: Authentic Connection & Growth

• Date & Time: September 16, 2026 | 9am PT / 12pm ET 

• Description: Marketing doesn't have to revolve around social media. This session covers relationship-based strategies—networking, referrals, partnerships, email marketing, word-of-mouth—and helps participants leave with a core marketing message, an elevator pitch, and a simple plan they can use right away. 

• Register here: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_N_rCIBwhQRyX0cJnbuAO-Q#/registration 

AI Tools: Your Employee of the Month

• Date & Time: October 21, 2026 | 9am PT / 12pm ET 

• Description: AI can reduce repetitive work and support productivity without adding hours to the day. This session covers practical AI tools and prompts that lighten the workload while keeping your authentic voice—valuable for freeing up energy for the work that matters most. Participants leave with a personalized AI toolkit. 

• Register here: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_onGN4U_FSOun_2-D3IpNZA#/registration

Networking for Introverts: Embracing Your Quiet Strength

• Date & Time: November 18, 2026 | 9am PT / 12pm ET 

• Description: Networking doesn't have to mean crowded rooms and constant small talk. This interactive session covers practical strategies for introverts and quieter professionals who want to build real business relationships on their own terms. That, too, is doing business differently. 

• Register here: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_I-GCQZEvR6SpUXGM8x6VNQ#/registration

Building Work That Works With Us 

Disabled and neurodivergent people shouldn't always have to adapt themselves to systems that weren't built with us in mind. Sometimes we need accommodations within existing systems. Sometimes we need to push for systemic change. And sometimes, when it's possible and right for us, we can build something different. 

Self-employment can let us build a working life around our energy, sensory needs, communication style, focus, schedule, boundaries, and strengths—one that leaves room for both work and life. It lets us ask: What do I need to do my best work? What does sustainable work look like for me? And what can I change to create the conditions where I can thrive? 

A Different Way Forward 

Self-employment isn't a solution for everyone, and it isn't without challenges. But for some disabled and neurodivergent people, it can create something that's often in short supply: agency. The ability to make choices about our environment, our time, and our boundaries can change how we experience work—and how much of ourselves we have left for the rest of our lives. 

We deserve to work in ways that build on our strengths, rather than constantly overcoming barriers that don't need to exist. 

Whether you're self-employed, considering entrepreneurship, or simply rethinking what a sustainable working life could look like, I hope you'll give yourself permission to ask what you need to do your best work and what you can change to make that possible. 

Sometimes self-advocacy begins with asking for change. Sometimes it begins with creating the conditions where we can thrive. Both are worth pursuing. 

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Jenine Lillian (Jenine, they/them) is an #ActuallyAutistic neurodiversity consultant, educator, artist, writer, and librarian based in the West Kootenays, BC. They serve as Regional Director: Kootenays for the BC People First Society and are a Certified Supplier through the IWSCC. Learn more about Jenine's work at www.jeninelillian.com