Small Business Support

The Self Employment Programme for Persons with Disabilities is a partnership of Lutherwood, K-W Access-Ability, the Canadian Hearing Society and the Canadian National Institute for the Blind, designed to assist persons with disabilities to launch and grow small businesses.

The programme offers:

• A series of 2-3 hour information sessions that focus on creating an awareness of entrepreneurship, define what self-employment can offer and review the skills needed to establish a small business.
• Four week pre-entrepreneurial training and support. During the four weeks of in-class programming the partners will provide the participants with an introduction to the "new economy"; heighten their awareness of entrepreneurship as a viable employment option; and allow the participants to assess their aptitude and abilities to become entrepreneurs.
• Eight weeks of in-class training on business plan development, market research, financial training, business organization, information and sales and marketing training. Forty-four weeks of on-going guidance and supports is provided to participants by the Business Advisor team.

• Current or new client of one of the partner organizations (Lutherwood, K-W Access Ability, Canadian Hearing Society and the Canadian National Institute for the Blind).
• Live in and/or start your business in Waterloo Region and Wellington County catchment area.
• Not in school or working full-time during training and coaching phases of the program.
• Have a business idea and are interested in starting a small business.