CATT-13: Entrepreneurship for Persons with Disabilities

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CATT-13: Entrepreneurship for

Persons with Disabilities

Peter McAlindon, [email protected]

Friday, Feb. 1st 8am – 9am

Handouts are available at: www.atia.org/orlandohandouts 1

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Persons with disabilities are consistently underrepresented in entrepreneurship Weiss, T. (2009). Persons with Disabilities and Entrepreneurship. Disability World.http://www.disabled-world.com/editorials/disablity-entrepreneurship-tips.php


http://www.disabled-world.com/editorials/disablity-entrepreneurship-tips.php

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Who am I?

• Entrepreneur for the past 20 years primarily in assistive technology

• Ph.D. in Industrial Engineering with an emphasis in ergonomics• Raised $5,500,000 for my company, Blue Orb, Inc.

• History of the orbiTouch Keyless Keyboard

• Teach entrepreneurship at the Rollins College Crummer Graduate School of Business

• Awarded a three year grant from the National Science Foundation


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Entrepreneurial Process and Path

Handouts are available at: www.atia.org/orlandohandouts

No two entrepreneurial paths are alike

progress

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Key issues facing entrepreneurs


You can’t know everythingYou can’t know what you don’t knowWho, or where, do you go to for answers?Not enough time Not enough money

How do you address these issues?

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Key issues facing entrepreneurs with disabilities


You can’t know everythingYou can’t know what you don’t knowWho do you go for answers?Not enough time Not enough money

Plus:Resources are not as accessibleNetwork of people is not as robustseveral others...

How do you address these issues?

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Entrepreneurial Process and Path


progress

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How can we straighten out the path and make it more accessible?

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8Handouts are available at: www.atia.org/orlandohandouts 8

http://ecosystem.orlando.orghttp://cfdisabilitychamber.org

http://ecosystem.orlando.org/

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Program Overview• Overview of assistive technology -- for both user and mentor

• What it is; how it works; where to find it• How to get the most out of it

• Fill out the application with mentor(s) help.

• Accepted? If yes, take a number of simple, you can’t fail, tests for best fit for mentor, team building, learning style, motivation, personality, etc. Mentors take the same tests! If no, we tell you why and what to do next.

• Tablet based for greatest access and portability.

• Program assesses where to start and provides steps unique to you and your company and/or idea.

• Assigned two mentors, one with you always, the other step specific.

• Information is presented in many formats. It’s made available through your device. Lessons are tracked and evaluated. Questionnaires used to assess.


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What People Use to Access the Program: AT


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What People Use for the Program -- AT, other


Ted Freeman, ScientistTaking the orbiTouch Into the Research Laboratory

While completing his graduate work in physics at the University of Washington, Ted Freemen found himself using a computer as his primary research tool. Now he is a Research Scientist in the School of Medicine at the UW, analyzing the DNA sequences found in microbial genomes. His work is done entirely by computer.

Years of full-time keyboard use eventually led to a severe case of tendonitis in his wrists. Ted's doctors and physical therapists all had the same message: as long as he continued to use the device that caused this repetitive stress injury-a standard computer keyboard-it would be difficult to recover fully.

Ted tried several different types of “ergonomic keyboards.” His experience can be summed up like this: “No matter how well they may be designed, they still have keys that require individual finger motion to use. I can tell when something is causing pain and when it will lead to pain several hours after use, and this was the case with every one of those keyboards. They just didnot solve the problem.”

After seeing the orbiTouch at a conference, and (of course) thoroughly researching the product, he bought an orbiTouch and began working with it. His comments after a year of use: “The orbiTouch completely eliminates the source of my injuries, unlike any ergonomic keyboard I have used. No matter how well they may be designed, ergonomic keyboards still have keys that require repetitive finger motion. I can use the orbiTouch all day long without causing pain.”

Learning to use the orbiTouch was straightforward. Ted's first week was a little slow, but then his speed picked up and his error rate dropped. After a few weeks he was typing effectively. And while his speed is not at the same level as with a traditional keyboard, it is fast enough for him to do his job-and now typing is pain free!

Challenge:After 15 years ofkeyboard use, tendonitisbrings pain into everydaycomputing tasks. Therapy and different keyboard designs don’t relieve the problem.

Solution:After the numerousergonomic keyboardsfailed to help, Ted boughtthe orbiTouch.

Benefit:No pain. That’s thebottom line. No painwhile using the orbiTouchto type every day.

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16 Program “Tasks” (these are starting points)• Business basics overview (i.e., recommended books, education videos,

Kaufmann Foundation series, local service providers overview, etc.)

• Select mentor/coach

• Determine roles: inventor, administrator, concept person, marketing

• Identify organizations that can help formulate ideas (e.g., Central Florida Disability Chamber, Center for Independent Living, Edward Lowe Foundation)

• Develop plan for “fail fast” testing of product or service. What causes an idea to fail fast? Talk to customers!

• Pursue preliminary patent protection, prepare business plan, exit strategy, etc.

• Obtain seed funds

• Design service/product


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• Develop and test a prototype (many, actually)

• Obtain input from customers, groups, potential partners and investors

• Launch viable product/service

• Pursue intellectual property protection

• Sell to first customers and potential partners

• Begin to incorporate all functions of the business plan (marketing, web strategy and plan, etc.)

• Refine EVERYTHING as necessary

• Grow, Innovate, Exit


16 Program “Tasks” continued

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Hi, I’m Pete, your mentor


This application and its website are Section 508 compliant...

Overview of assistive technology used in the program

Note: This would best be used as two drop down lists. One for device or OS and the other for type of media or information they want to see.

Xoom Tablet VideosGetting startedCheat sheet

Manual

Website info

Mac OS

Windows 7

Android Phones

iPad

iPhone

select device:select

information:

http://www.abledata.com/ is a great resource for equipment



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This site is Section 508 compliant...



Please list any assistive technology products you use (e.g., screen reader, orbiTouch keyboard, etc).

How comfortable are you using technology?



Please describe your business in 140 characters or less:

In more detail, what will your company do or make?



What’s new, interesting, or different about what your company will do?

Do you have a website or prototype? What is your website URL?



Explain how your company will make money.

Please provide information and URLs on current or likely competitors.



Please tell us about each founder and their role. Explain how you met and how long you’ve been working together.Include LinkedIn information.

What are some things that the team (or its members) have built in the past? Please include URLs.



Can each of the founders attend the entirety of the program, or do some of you have other obligations?

Other than the founder(s), how many other employees do you have?



Where is your company located (City, State, Country)?

Please provide information on money the company has already raised, and any information on fundraising plansfor the future.



Why should we work with you and your company?

Please list any other entrepreneurs you know or would like to work with.



How did you hear about our program?

Is there anything else like you like us to know about you, your company, etc?



Thank you for your application. You will hear from us within the next

10 business days.


Hi, I’m Pete, your mentorA look at the “behind the

scenes” part of the program

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Who do we serve?People with disabilities who wish to become entrepreneurs.How do we reach them? Disability Organizations, Conferences, Medical Community, Local and State Govt., Churches, Schools, Businesses, Community Service Organizations, etc. How do we help and

support them? Develop a system to track and document best practices, resources, outcomes. High accountability. Iterate to success.

Heart of our system: System that generates simple steps to getting best help via a system to track and document best practices, resources, outcomes. High accountability.

Questionnaires

Research

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Support, information, increased service, revenue

Privacy Maintained

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Access toInformation

Determine Best, First Path Solution

Information Resources

Information Dissemination/Revenue OpportunitiesExperts and information enable the system of decision making

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Determine Best, n Path Solution, as

neededDatabase

User Steps

System Steps

Expert Analysis

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Experts evaluate plan before it’s sent to client or talk client through it.

Mentors

Ecosystem

Fully accessible web interface 28


Example network


Hi, I’m Pete, your mentorA look at the internal part of the system....

www.marketissimo.com

also check out eMarketingVids at the iTunes store or http://www.emarketingvids.com/

Your first step: Sales and Marketing



http://premium.docstoc.com http://www.hubspot.com http://www.udemy.com

https://evernote.com http://www.surveymonkey.com http://www.linkedin.com

<< MORE >>



Entrepreneur Support Organizations

http://www.kauffman.org http://www.washington.edu/doit/ http://www.techstars.com

<< MORE >>



Entrepreneur Support Organizations: DO IT!

Disabilities, Opportunities, Internetworking, and Technology



<< MORE >>

Your Courses



<< MORE >>

Seth Godin Brad Feld Mark Suster

http://www.bothsidesofthetable.com/http://www.feld.com/http://sethgodin.typepad.com/

Your Gurus



<< MORE >>

Your Library



How well did your mentors do?How helpful was the information?



How well did your mentee do?


What do we do with all this data?

Constantly improve the program -- it will take less time and money to become successful

The network becomes more robust, helps make future paths more reliable, better

What’s taken me 20 years to do, I could do in 3 years today

In a year from now, I’ll be able to do it in one year


Why does all of this matter?

Think about what is going to happenwhen more persons with disabilities

becomesuccessful entrepreneurs...

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Know someone who would like to help or participate?

• Call or email me:• email: [email protected]• cell: 321.277.4272

• If you would like to be a mentor, I’d love to hear from you.

• If you are company with a technology or process that could help, please send me your information.

• Send me your contact information so I can stay in touch. No, I won’t SPAM you.

• Thank you.


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Thank you for attending this session• CEUs

• More info at: www.atia.org/CEU• For ACVREP, AOTA and ASHA CEUs, hand in completed

Attendance Forms to REGISTRATION DESK at the end of the conference. Please note there is a $15 fee for AOTA CEUs.

• For general CEUs, apply online with The AAC Institute: www.aacinstitute.org

• Session Evaluation• Please help us improve the quality of our conference by completing

your session evaluation form.• Completed evaluation forms should be submitted as you exit or to

staff at the registration desk.

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CATT-13: Entrepreneurship for Persons with Disabilities

Documents

Transcript of CATT-13: Entrepreneurship for Persons with Disabilities