Actions and Reactions: How Entrepreneurs with Disabilities Navigate Necessity, Disclosure, and Stakeholder Perceptions

Abstract

Entrepreneurs with disabilities represent a significant yet understudied segment of the entrepreneurial population. Despite being roughly twice as likely as their counterparts without disabilities to pursue self-employment, we know little about how they navigate the entrepreneurial process. This dissertation addresses that gap by examining how entrepreneurs with physical disabilities perceive their disability, how those perceptions shape their actions, and how prior experiences with stakeholders influence the entrepreneurs’ perceptions and future actions. Using an inductive, qualitative grounded-theory approach, I conducted 21 semi-structured interviews with entrepreneurs who have physical disabilities. The resulting theoretical process model reveals several interconnected components that influence the entrepreneurial process for these individuals. Specifically, findings provide insights into the influence of physical disability on entrepreneurial entry, the actions entrepreneurs take to manage their physical disability in the context of entrepreneurship, the reactions of potential stakeholders to these actions, and how perceptions of subsequent stakeholder reactions influence future actions. This dissertation contributes to research on necessity entrepreneurship, entrepreneurial action, and stakeholder enrollment while also offering practical guidance for aspiring entrepreneurs with disabilities and the stakeholders with whom they engage.