Self-Employment

Abigail is an advocate, teacher, and entrepreneur who enjoys helping others and staying active in her community. Inspired by her early love of teaching, she built a career as a special education substitute teacher and launched her own business, Transit2GO, which trains people to use public transportation independently. With support from self-directed services and a dedicated employment team, Abigail customized her supports to fit both her personal and professional goals. These services allow her to hire staff, cover business expenses, and stay organized while balancing teaching and running her business. Abigail’s story highlights how self-directed services empower people with disabilities to have control, customize supports, and combine funding sources to achieve greater independence and success.

Joe lives in Georgia and describes himself as a fun guy who likes to laugh. He loves coffee, music and dancing, playing baseball,, eating at Chick-fil-A, and spending time with his friends. Joe is the sole proprietor of Poppin' Joes Gourmet Kettle Korn. Joe and the business have grown together, pioneering small business ownership for people with intellectual or developmental disabilities (IDD). 

Mia lives in Des Moines, Iowa. She enjoys running, swimming, bicycling, movies, and traveling with her friends and boyfriend. She also enjoys speaking and singing in front of large groups of people. In high school, Mia participated in theater and speech competitions. She also is an avid reader and writer and enjoys communicating through her written work and videos. Mia is now putting all of these skills and interests together to run her own business.

With the support of a career planning process and her family and friends, Dusty was able follow her dream. She enrolled in a theater class, took a course at a local college, and made use of creative funding to develop her own business. In 2006, Dusty’s Puppets became a reality. Dusty entertains young children with puppet shows at birthday parties, local farmers’ markets, daycare centers, and schools.

Melissa lives in Montana, and loves dogs. She owns and operates Lissie's Luv Yums, a gourmet dog-biscuit business. Melissa also educates others about employment for people with disabilities and about living with and preventing fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD).

Emilea lives in a small town in Iowa. She loves spending time with her family and her pets, CeCe and Harley. She also owns and operates her own coffee shop, Em's Coffee Company. With the support of her family, Emilea planned for a career and then used local contacts and several funding streams to start her own business.

Jackson and Anna both live in Davis, CA, where they grew up and went to junior high school together. They have busy lives volunteering in their community, and both say that they relate well to kids.

With help from their job coaches and support teams, and with regular meetings about self-employment, Jackson and Anna were each able to explore their talents, try out business ideas, and eventually decide to become business partners.

Corey Alley, who lives in Millinocket, Maine, loves being out in the community, volunteering for service organizations, and participating in sports and recreational activities. For the past six years, he has provided a service to the town through his business, Alley's Recycling. The business accommodates his schedule and makes recycling a quick and easy process for his customers.

Eric lives in Portland, Maine, and describes himself as "helpful, kind and open to anybody." He owns his own business, Eric's Pizza Express, where he sells pizza, sandwiches, and drinks from Anthony's Italian Kitchen, a well-known local restaurant. He does everything from setting up and taking down the cart to serving customers and working the cash register.