In 1998 a woodworker in Kalispell opened his own business using a $3,800 grant from the U.S. Deptartment of Labor. A Helena resident used another $3,800 to start a lawn-maintenance service.

Montana/Wyoming Careers Through Partnerships helped these workers carve specific jobs based on their interests and abilities because both have significant disabilities that were barriers to traditional employment. They join a long list of other business owners who now are earning money doing work that truly interests them.

Roger Shelley of UM’s Rural Institute on Disabilities says his agency doesn’t try to convince people with disabilities to seek traditional jobs. In rural areas opening a small business makes a lot of sense because people can develop their own work accommodations, he says. And it costs roughly $150 less to put someone into his or her own business than into a traditional job.

In the United States, people with disabilities start their own companies at nearly twice the rate of people without disabilities, according to UM researcher Tom Seekins. In addition, people with disabilities in rural areas are self-employed at a higher rate than those in metropolitan areas.

To fit into the existing business structure in Montana, Shelley says that self-employment is a viable option for disabled people to become self-sufficient.

In September 2000, the U.S. Department of Commerce determined that most of Montana commerce exists in companies with few employees.

While Shelley believes that people can find employment in existing businesses in Montana, he says self-employment is a good option, not only for people with disabilities, but for everyone.