Miriam Shutes has been ill or disabled most of her 50 years. She suffers from severe circulation problems which resulted in the amputation of her left leg. She also suffers from cirrhosis of the liver as a result of having to take antibiotics for prolonged periods.
Amazingly, despite her failing health and being unable to work since 1982, Shutes started a home business, “Miram’s Busy Fingers”.
According to an article by Donna Vavala of NewsHerald, Panama City, “Shutes is one of six handicapped people in the state tapped for a new pilot program called Micro Enterprise Training Technology Assistant, or METTA. The program, which was created by the University of Florida, is designed to offer training, equipment and professional support so disabled people like Shutes can run their own home business. A team was formed to find a business that would meet Shutes’ abilities and interest. They came up with Medicaid waiver billing and virtual secretary. A business plan was developed and goals were set.”
Amir Lizarraga, who has been Shutes’ job coach. He taught her how to do the billing and how to market her services.
“I have been in and out of programs for 30 years for people with disabilities,” Shutes said. “This is the first program I’ve found that caters to my needs as a disabled person. Amir has really provided emotional support for me going into my own business.”
Another success story is Matthew Morreale. Matthew, an autistic adult has a dream of taking his family to visit Disneyland theme parks all over the world. How will he do that? He works.
Matthew is thought to be the first local example of a statewide trend. He runs a microenterprise, a small niche business that can be launched with minimal funding yet make a steady profit.
Matthew runs the Matthew James Co., a shredding business that began this year with a single client but is already looking to hire additional employees. His brochure promises that he’ll “shred the competition.”
“Self-sufficiency and independence means not only lessening the impact on the budget, so they don’t have to rely on social supports,” said Dorsey Griffith, a spokeswoman for California’s department of developmental services. “These people are good workers, and they’re happier when they’re working and they’re part of the community.”
Matthew got his start after being frustrated by his job in a retail store. He wanted more hours, so a microenterprise business development manager at Goodwill of Orange County, suggested he start his own business.
His first client was Atria Woodbridge, a senior living center in Irvine. Once a week he takes his shredder – about waist-high, and about 50 pounds – and shreds junk mail, old bills and business documents for residents and staff.
In August, he’ll expand to serve the Regional Center of Orange County, which has also helped provide startup support for his business. He’ll shred thousands of pounds of center documents using Goodwill’s industrial-sized shredding machines.
Miriam and Matthew are both testament to the fact that if you have a dream, you can find a way to make it happen.
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Tags: Home Business
Sometimes I think having a disability gives a person more motivation to follow their dreams because they have already overcome so many obstacles. It’s like having something tragic happen to you before you wake up and say, hey if I don’t stop this or change this I’m done.
Working at home offers so many opportunities to anyone and there are so many ways a person can do this. The ideas are endless.
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Anyone who want to work from home need to be true to their dream. Find yourself the right thing to do. Then stick to it and never give up, then you’ll succeed. Some people likes to be employed by someone else. Work from home jobs that are done online is achieveable. If you have a good idea for your own home based business, make a plan and go for it. Remember, if make a plan and set yourself goals, your chances for success is pretty good.
i want to venture working at home but i don’t know where to find the jobs available…any tips?
When I was first approached with the idea about starting my own business, I also wondered how to get started. When I was selected through METTA (a microenterprise technology training assistance program), I was able to develop a team of people who actually helped me to brainstorm ideas helping me to finally do what I am doing now, Medicaid waiver billing. I might add it did not happen overnight for me because I had a lot of paperwork I had to file to become a provider of billing services. However, if your heart is in the right place, and you have a specific goal in mind, you can do it! Also, remember to ignore that word, “Can’t!” because it has set many a person back to the starting point feeling like they should not even try to do what seemed to be impossible. I am living proof of that, and I have to tell myself everyday that I can handle the biggest challenge, and that is me! Knowing that, the rest of what I hope to accomplish is within my grasp!
You are an inspiration, Miriam! Thanks for commenting!
Good ideas. Adviced to friends
I have an idea for a home based online business. But not sure how to start or what to charge. Should I start a web site first, then promote it. I haven’t seen anyone else doing this service I want to do. So not sure what to charge. Are there good sites to visit regarding these questions. Thanks, Kathy PS I am on permanent disibility.
Hi Kathy,
I think a good starting point would be to thoroughly research your idea first. Start with a Google search for what keyword(s) clients would use to find you. See if there is anything similar out there. If you find some that are alike or similar, you can get pricing information from those and see what the averages look like.
Next, you’ll want to see if there is a demand for your service. If your service is going to be primarily web-based, you can use a keyword popularity tool like the one at Submit Express. Try different phrases to see if people are looking for the information/service you’d be providing.
You should also have a business plan. There are lots of places that offer free business plan templates and software. Just do a search for “free business plans” and you’ll find plenty.
Once you have that in place, then you can look at building a website. You can have one designed, use website creation software (like FrontPage or Dreamweaver), build it yourself, or use a CMS like Wordpress, or TypePad. What you go with will depend on what your business is and how you want your customers to be able to interact with your site.
The Small Business Administration (http://www.sba.gov) has lots of great resources for small businesses also.
Good luck and keep us posted!
As a father of two ASD boys, I really appreciate your blog and the information you post!
My sister has been on disability for 19 years and of course right on the poverty line. She was diagnosed with JRA at age 11 and experiences dibilitating pain, disfigurement, and has had several surgeries on her knees and toes, and been through countless hours of physical therapy. However, she’s not one to give up and do nothing with herself. She took up a hobby with photography, then computers, and over the past 3 years has become an amazing photographer. She really has a passion for this and would love to start a home based business doing portraits, working at her own pace and earning money.
Her great fear is if she began such a venture, she would lose her much needed medical benefits, and then possibly fail at gaining enough customers to support her financially.
We have no idea where to begin the research for finding out exactly what the rules and regulations are (especially those that the SS administration don’t openly volunteer)
Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated in this matter!
My email is katden.turner@gmail.com
Thank you.
Hi Kathrine,
Have you looked into your local organizations for the disabled? Here in my little town we have at least two that are great resources. That might be a good place to start. You should also check with your state’s Department of Labor. They often have programs that exist to help the disabled to become self-employed and can refer your sister to other local organizations.
The US Department of Labor website has some excellent links and resources.
Wow! Thank you very much!
I always wanted to write in my site something like that. Can I take part of your post to my blog?
Of course, I will add backlink?
Sincerely, Timur I.