The global reach of policy and academic research on entrepreneurship by disabled people was the theme of the recent webinar on the Regional Studies Policy Impact Book: A Seat at the Table: A place for disabled entrepreneurs edited by Helen Lawton Smith, Connie L. McNeely, Jacqueline Winstanley, and Ayse Seyyide Kaptaner Demirhan.
The Chair Alan Kinder, CEO of the Regional Studies Association introduced the panel of the four editors, all members of CIMR, to an international audience.
The context is that 1 in 6 people worldwide has a disability. How countries and regions differ addressing the challenges and opportunities for disabled entrepreneurs is analysed in five empirical chapters. The global south is represented by chapters from Nigeria and India; and the Global North by chapters from the USA, Hungary and Türkiye.
Two themes are consistent throughout the book. The first is that while every country has adopted national legislation to outlaw discrimination of disabled people, the enactment of policy is inconsistent and sometimes absent.
The second which follows from that conclusion is that successful policy must incorporate the lived experiences of disabled people and recognise the challenges that they face in different regional and national contexts. Underpinning the design of good policy is data. This book provides evidence of the kind of policies developed in different countries and gives examples of disabled entrepreneurs which illustrate creativity irrespective of disability.
When the panel was asked, “Is there evidence of hope for the future of policy for disabled entrepreneurs?” The answer was a cautious yes.
We thank the Regional Studies Association for their kind support for this venture.
Watch a recording of the webinar
Reference
H. Lawton Smith, C. McNeely, J Winstanley and A. Seyyide Kaptaner Demirhan (eds) (2025) A Seat at the Table: A Place for Disabled Entrepreneurs and Innovators, Regional Studies Association Expo Books https://www.tandfonline.com/toc/rpim20/current
Kindly reposted from a CIMR Blogs LinkedIn post by Helen Lawton Smith, Jacqueline Winstanley, Connie L. McNeely and Ayse Seyyide Kaptaner Demirhan December 18, 2025