On November 10 and 11, Madrid will celebrate the first National Congress on Entrepreneurship and Disability. The event is organized by Fundación ONCE, the Spanish Committee of Representatives of People with Disabilities (CERMI) and the Association for Entrepreneurship and Disability (ASEMDIS).
In the presentation of the event were Luis Cayo Perezpresident of CERMI; Lydia Parrapresident of ASEMDIS, and Jose Luis Martinez DonosoGeneral Director of the ONCE Foundation, accompanied by Sabina Lobato, Director of Training and Employment, Operations and Agreements of the ONCE Foundation.
In his speech, Martínez Donoso stated that the ONCE Foundation has already helped some 1,900 people with disabilities who are interested in starting a business and that he has proven that his work and tenacity make the results figures better than those of entrepreneurs without disabilities. Of all businesses started by people with disabilities, he said, 85% continue, a figure that for those without disabilities reaches only 60%. In addition, he concluded, 40% of the entrepreneurs supported by the ONCE Foundation have created jobs, which shows that investing in this branch of employment is profitable and positive.
For his part, Pérez Bueno highlighted the importance of working with Fundación ONCE and ASEMDIS in the promotion of entrepreneurship among people with disabilities: “Contributing with operators of this importance to promote entrepreneurship is almost the perfect equation within our strategy”, he assured. In this sense, he pointed out that entrepreneurship “it is a dimension of economic empowerment, essential for vital and personal growth”.
One of the main objectives of the congress is create a meeting space that favors business cooperation between entrepreneurs with disabilities, potential investors and other agents of the entrepreneurial ecosystem.
It is aimed not only at entrepreneurs with disabilities but also at those professionals and technicians for employment guidance, interested personnel from the Autonomous Employment Services, local authorities, universities and other public or private entities that offer support in the field of entrepreneurship.
