There are two things. In the foreseeable future there will be a growing link between the aging population and disabilities. Certainly there are people here who probably have greater experience than I do, but now approximately one in seven Canadians has some degree of disability, and that will probably grow to about one in five over the next twenty years. It makes sense, as the effects of aging on the population become apparent. There is that connection and there will continue to be that connection.
One of the things that self-employment offers people with disabilities is additional flexibility. People with disabilities who have been successful in self-employment are not necessarily successful in corporate terms or the terms we would think of. In many cases success is having the ability to cobble together a reasonable living income from several sources.
You may have some part-time employment based on your skills and abilities. There may also be opportunity for some self-employment or part-time employment. At the same time, there may be a base of income or a small base of income coming from some sort of disability pension plan--that type of thing.
We are certainly told that people with disabilities need to have access to every possible opportunity. Self-employment in some cases may not be their only employment, but it adds one more thing they can make use of to have a reasonable working income.
We conducted focus groups with about 175 organizations. We brought together people with disabilities, people from business, and people from disability organizations. The need for that flexibility, for every possible opportunity, including self-employment, and for both camps and both types of organizations to learn and work together were very evident.