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Enabled 4 Enterprise - equipping the enterprise sector to deliver disability smart services
11 February 2008 Enabled 4 Enterprise (E4E), a vital new business disability training resource for London’s business support community, is being launched at the British Library in the capital tonight (11 February). Enabled 4 Enterprise is a unique collaboration between the charity Leonard Cheshire Disability, London Development Agency, the Northern Pinetree Trust and Head for Business. A new report about the barriers disabled people face in accessing business support will also be unveiled in conjunction with a speech by leading business forecaster & broadcaster Professor Richard Scase Called the Barriers & Opportunities Report and compiled from the experiences of disabled people, enterprise agencies and advisors, its findings challenge the perceptions of disabled people in the workplace and examine how agencies can provide more effective support. It also brings to light the attitudes experienced by disabled entrepreneurs like Stephen Collins who is a businessman with cerebral palsy. He said: “It took nearly seven months to open a business bank account and the reply I got from the bank was, why do you want to open a bank account; who is going to support you?” Enabled 4 Enterprise will equip Business Advisors and Enterprise Agencies to devise a range of strategies for clients who have sensory, physical, learning difficulties/disabilities and mental health issues. It provides the essential skills and disability awareness training that business advisors and enterprise agencies need to change the way they see disability and equip them. Jane Fletcher, Leonard Cheshire Disability Innovations Director said: “Leonard Cheshire Disability leads the way with innovative services for disabled people and can meet their needs when it comes to managing lives and careers. “Starting a business is a very attractive and viable option for disabled people looking for economic independence and control over their own destiny. “Enabled 4 Enterprise will create a stakeholder map of enterprise support provision right across London. It will establish specialist Enterprise Consultancy and Entrepreneurs Groups which will shape and influence future disability equality policy. “The Enabled 4 Enterprise network will develop disability smart training, workshops and an online learning programme, creating an invaluable resource which will also act as a hub for organisations working in the enterprise sector. “Ultimately this initiative is about breaking down the barriers that disabled people face. With the right support, disabled entrepreneurs can help make a significant contribution to boosting London’s economy.“ Saab Pahal, Senior Development Manager of Enterprise at the LDA, said: “We are delighted to be involved in Enabled4Enterprise, as it embodies the objectives of our our Disability Equality Scheme and its firm commitment to promoting equalities and to changing the way the capital’s disabled communities are perceived in the work place.“ -Ends- Media enquiries Contact Pete Lewis in Leonard Cheshire Disability’s press office on 020 7802 8265 or email pete.lewis@LCDisability.org. For out-of-hours media queries, please call the press mobile on 07903 949 388. Editors Notes Key Stats- More than 50% of disabled people work for themselves because self employment is the only viable option open to them. Their disability may mean they cannot hold down a 9 to 5 job and stats show that the 50% figure is far higher than the employment rate of able bodied people.
800,000 disabled people of working age live in London, just 43% have a job compared to 69% of the total workforce of the capital. - Leonard Cheshire Disability supports over 21,000 disabled people in the UK and works in 52 countries. We campaign for change and provide innovative services that give disabled people the opportunity to live life their way. Visit www.LCDisability.org
- The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom and one of the world’s greatest research libraries. Its’ Business & IP Centre is a trusted service that cuts costs for start-ups and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and is designed to support entrepreneurs from the initial spark of inspiration through to successfully launching and developing a business.
- Since opening March 2006 we have welcomed over 26,000 people through the doors and, together with partners and have delivered more than 2,000 business advice sessions www.bl.uk