A research snapshot released April 21, 2026, by Georgia State University shows that self-employment rates among Americans with disabilities vary sharply along racial, economic, and geographic lines. The analysis, authored by assistant professor Gemarco Peterson in the Department of Counseling and Psychological Services, was published in the Journal of Rehabilitation and draws on the National Survey on Health and Disability.
The study examined 762 adults with disabilities who completed the survey between 2020 and 2023. The headline finding is that while overall self-employment rates among people with disabilities are broadly similar to the general population, underrepresented groups continue to fall behind when it comes to launching and sustaining their own businesses.
The Gaps The Data Surfaces
African American and Black adults with disabilities reported the lowest self-employment rate in the sample at 10.87 percent. Latinx respondents led at 14.68 percent, followed by White respondents at 12.18 percent and Asian, Native Hawaiian, or Other Pacific Islander respondents at 12.04 percent.
Gender was effectively neutral, with men at 12.28 percent and women at 12.23 percent. Respondents who had experienced poverty or identified as a sexual minority were much more likely to be self-employed than their counterparts, a pattern the researchers attribute to both opportunity pull (flexible scheduling around health care needs) and barrier push (limited access to traditional W-2 roles).
Why The Findings Matter For Solopreneurs
More than one in eight respondents with disabilities in the sample reported being self-employed, a finding that aligns with broader census trends showing that independent work has become a meaningful path for workers who struggle to fit into a rigid 9-to-5 schedule. For aspiring solopreneurs navigating chronic illness, mobility challenges, or mental-health conditions, the flexibility of setting one’s own hours is often the point, not a perk.
But the racial gap in self-employment reflects the same access issues that show up in small-business lending data year after year. Black-owned startups are still denied loans at higher rates than white-owned startups with similar revenue, according to Federal Reserve small-business credit surveys, and the disability overlay compounds the problem.
Policy Angles To Watch
The study lands as the U.S. Department of Labor continues to evaluate the comment record on its proposed independent contractor rule, with the comment window closing April 28. Disability advocacy groups have argued in their comment letters that classification rules should preserve the option of self-employment, because many people with disabilities rely on the flexibility that independent contracting provides.
Vocational rehabilitation programs, which have historically pushed clients toward W-2 roles, are also being asked to modernize. Peterson’s research adds to a growing evidence base that self-employment support, including targeted microloans, mentorship, and technical assistance, should be a core part of state vocational rehabilitation services.
What Self-Employed Workers Should Do Next
Self-employed workers with disabilities can tap the Social Security Administration’s Ticket to Work program, which lets beneficiaries pursue self-employment without immediately losing Medicaid or Medicare coverage. State vocational rehabilitation agencies also offer self-employment plans that can fund equipment, training, and initial marketing costs.
Allies running businesses can use these findings to audit their own hiring and contracting practices. Sourcing vendors from disability-owned business directories, or offering invoice-timing flexibility, can translate the study’s numbers into practical support for the solopreneurs it describes.
Photo by Possessed Photography: Unsplash
