Foundations of Entrepreneurship

This course provides the critical foundations for entrepreneurship for people with disabilities who are considering the development of their own businesses or organizations. At the completion of the Entrepreneurship course, participants will have been introduced to the options available for the pursuit of funding as well as a mentor network to assist them in the development of their ideas into a sustainable business venture. At specified intervals, participants will complete an evaluated assessment of their status as entrepreneurs who have disabilities in order to:

• Determine readiness for the process of venture development

• Determine suitability of the key idea for implementation as a business venture

During each of these assessments, a given participant may agree with the instructor to not move further in this course, but that decision automatically places them as a potential participant to begin an alternate course entitled,"Foundations for Employment for People with Disabilities". This program has been funded by a grant from New York State, and is being managed in collaboration with Dr. Stephen Kuusisto of the Burton Blatt Institute at Syracuse University.