The RSA is pleased to announce the publication of the 12th Policy Impact book: A seat at the table: A place for disabled entrepreneurs and innovators edited by Helen Lawton Smith, Connie L. McNeely, Jacqueline Winstanley and Ayşe Seyyide Kaptaner Demirhan.
One of the editors, Helen Lawton Smith, said:
“Increasing entrepreneurship by disabled people is a global issue. This Policy Impact publication explains how and why.”
The book addresses a fundamental question: how can national and regional policies be better designed and implemented to support disabled entrepreneurs? Across chapters, the authors examine a broad set of case studies, identifying varying approaches to supporting disabled individuals in the entrepreneurial ecosystem. The challenges faced by these entrepreneurs range widely, from lack of access to resources and funding, to entrenched social stigmas that limit economic participation. A strikingly consistent theme emerges: successful policy must incorporate the lived experiences of disabled people, recognising the unique barriers they face in each national context.
It considers how inequalities in participation, access and opportunity are addressed in different countries and regions. The country chapters provide an analysis and critique of current national and policy provisions and also address overall socio-economic benefits, beyond those of the individual. Examples are given of the experiences of disabled entrepreneurs to illustrate these points. Representative country case studies in this publication are India, Nigeria, Hungary, the United States and Türkiye. The book also draws on previous research in the UK. These are detailed examples, but they are not unique and 14 different non-European countries have been identified where research on innovative entrepreneurs with disabilities has been undertaken. These include Brazil, China, Ecuador, Indonesia, Nepal and South Africa.
Click here to read a recent blog by Helen Lawton Smith, Connie L. McNeely, Jacqueline Winstanley and Ayşe Seyyide Kaptaner Demirhan, published on 9 August 2025
Key recommendations
Recommendation 1: Government policy and regulatory initiatives should be co-designed and led by disabled entrepreneurs alongside other stakeholders utilising ethical collaboration. They should target changing the perception about disabled people who create innovation and enterprise, reframing the narrative and reducing discrimination.
Recommendation 2: Bespoke business support initiatives, both real-world and virtual, are required. They should recognise the role of intersectionality and include health and well-being, mentorship and accelerator programmes.
Recommendation 3: Work is required from a variety of stakeholders to foster inclusive and sustainable local, regional, national and global resources. They should include individual difference and sector-specific requirements. The aim should be to progress to the full integration of disabled people into the entrepreneurial landscape.
Recommendation 4: Effort needs to be put into ensuring a business banking and finance sector that is reflective of the way disabled people create innovation and enterprise. This involves education and incentives.
Recommendation 5: Ethical collaboration between policy, practice and researchers is needed to enhance the required international data collection and research relating to the socio-economic impact on everyone, but especially disabled people who create innovation and enterprise, alongside the broader economic benefits to society.
RSA Members receive a print copy of the book as one of the membership benefits.
RSA POLICY EXPO GRANT SCHEME
This RSA policy research initiative worth £15,000 (c. $20,000; c. €17,800) aims to connect the work of successful teams with the wider communities on societal questions and policy needs. Expos will normally run for no more than 18 months from commissioning to the submission of a Policy Expo Book and RSRS article for review.
The Association seeks a leading and impactful role for its community, to inform and influence policy and practice in creative and ambitious ways. The aim is to support Expos addressing issues that are important, current and having an impact on society. These Expos will investigate how the communities of regional studies, regional science, urban studies and related fields can respond to new societal challenges and opportunities.
Current Call for Applications
Please keep updated via our website for the 2025 RSA Policy Expo grant funding scheme calls. The Policy Expo initiative is worth up to £15,000 (c.$19,000; c. €16,800) to successful teams aiming to connect their work and wider communities to societal questions and policy needs.
The RSA will award £15,000 for the completion of the research and outputs. The research should produce an article for our gold open access journal, Regional Studies, Regional Science and a short ‘policy facing’ book of no more than 30,000 words published by Routledge relating to one of the themes below.
The book will have a large distribution, as it will be sent in print copy to all RSA members and in e-book format to all those who subscribe to any of the journals of the RSA.
Click here for more information on the grant scheme.