Determining the factors in sustaining persons with disabilities (PwDs) in business

Disabilities is a natural phenomenon that happened in every country in the world. Just like others, persons with disabilities (PwDs) also involved in the society and economic activities. However, not many PwDs are employed. Unfairness remains a major problem for PwDs especially for education and employment. The mistreatment towards them seems unending. Due to this, the unemployment rate among PwDs continue to rise, including in Malaysia. Different solutions have been proposed to address this problem. One of them is entrepreneurship, which has been shown to have social value by contributing to socioeconomic development. This research elaborates on the factors that help to sustain PwDs in their entrepreneurial venture. This study reveal four factors that support the success of PwDs in business. The factors are knowledge of starting up and managing risk, financial support, a motivational environment, and networking. This study highlights the findings regarding the situation of PwDs in Malaysia and their expectations for sustaining their businesses. To derive the findings, a qualitative study was conducted using case studies. Five PwDs have become the subjects for the survey. Semi structured interviews using purposive sampling technique was conducted to gain the findings. The results from this study provide insight where these factors actually help PwDs to sustain themselves in business. It is hope that this study can contribute to the improvement of support for entrepreneurs with disabilities in Malaysia.