A Little Motivation: 8 Companies Whose Founders Are People With Disabilities
People
with disabilities are often overlooked and underestimated. However, they have
the same dreams, aspirations, and potential as anybody else. Many people with
disabilities have gone on to achieve great things and make a real difference in
the world. Let’s look at the famous companies established by people with
disabilities who gained success.
What Is a Disability?
A
disability is a condition that hinders individuals from performing one or more
life functions and may even make it difficult for them to live their life. There
are many different types of disabilities that affect one or more parts of your
body.
All disabilities
have one thing in common: the individual needs to adapt. Disability can hinder
or preclude different activities from walking, speaking, and working to writing
and organizing thoughts and more. If you have trouble organizing your ideas
into a single project, you should not worry because there are writing services
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What Businesses or Organizations are
Owned by Entrepreneurs with Disabilities?
There
is no doubt that the business world is changing rapidly, and with it, the way
that people approach and think about disability. In recent years, there has
been a growing trend of businesses being owned and operated by entrepreneurs
with disabilities. So, what are the names of the businesses started by disabled
people?
1. The Virgin Group
The
Virgin Group is one of the most successful companies in the world. And its
founder, Richard Branson, is a passionate advocate for people with disabilities.
Richard
has been diagnosed with dyslexia and ADHD, which has made it difficult for him
to have a conventional job. He has instead turned to entrepreneurship as a way
to make a difference in the world and help others who are facing similar challenges.
The
Virgin Group is committed to hiring people with disabilities into all levels of
its business operations. This includes both its businesses and those it
acquires. In addition, it provides financial assistance and training to enable
those individuals to become successful entrepreneurs themselves.
2. The CheckFree
CheckFree,
founded by Peter Kight, is a company that provides banking and financial
services to people with disabilities. He says that the main reason he founded
the company was to provide a better way for people with disabilities to access
financial services. He believes that many people with disabilities are
overlooked by the mainstream economy and have difficulty accessing traditional
banking products and services.
3. Life Without Limbs
Nick
Vujicic is another well-known disabled celebrity and the founder of Life
Without Limbs, a non-profit organization for people with disabilities. He was
born limbless in 1982. He claims that as a child, he was ridiculed and
discriminated against and that he attempted suicide several times before realizing
his potential.
He
currently gives motivational speeches all over the world. He also released
several books and appeared on several talk shows and other television programs, even landing a role in the film “The Butterfly Circus.”
4. Michael J. Fox Foundation
The
Michael J. Fox Foundation is the leading nonprofit organization focused on
improving the lives of people with disabilities. It was founded by actor and
activist Michael J. Fox in 1988. He was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.
Since
then, it has donated more than $650 million to various projects that aim to
improve the quality of life for those living with disabilities. Some of the foundation’s
most notable achievements include:
· Developing a cure for Parkinson's disease;
· Fighting cancer;
· Supporting research into autism spectrum disorder and
cerebral palsy;
· Creating accessible housing and jobs;
· Raising awareness and understanding about disability
issues.
5. MAX’IS Creations
MAX’IS
Creations is a company started by Max Ash, a student with dyslexia. He creates
products that are accessible and useful for people.
The
Mug with a Hoop is one of the products created by MAX'IS Creations. It includes
a basketball net as well as numerous other options. A share of his venture's
profit is donated to charity.
6. BitTorrent Inc
BitTorrent
was established by Bram Cohen. He states he has Asperger’s Syndrome. Koen's
disabilities have not prevented him from achieving great success in the tech
world. BitTorrent has been a pioneer in the field of peer-to-peer file sharing.
It allows for the distribution of large data volumes across the Internet.
7. FUBU
Daymond
John and his partners (J. Alexander Martin, Keith Perrin, and Carlton Brown) established
the brand in 1992. He struggles with dyslexia.
FUBU
began as a line of headgear at Diamond John's Hollis house in Queens. A few
years later, the brand expanded to include T-shirts, jeans, rugby shirts, and
other products.
8. JetBlue Airways
JetBlue
Airways is a well-known airline that was founded in 2001 by David Neeleman. He
has attention deficit disorder. It made it difficult for him to keep up with
the other students in school. Furthermore, such students frequently require
additional writing assistance while in college. Fortunately, there are writing
review websites, such as Best Essays Education, that are ready to help.
Neeleman
decided to start his airline because he believed that people with disabilities
should have the same access to good transportation as everyone else. Today,
JetBlue Airways is one of the most popular airlines in the world, and it has
helped countless people with disabilities get around easily and affordably.
Conclusion
People
with disabilities are often viewed as incapable or in need of constant care.
There are so many people with disabilities who have gone on to lead successful
lives and build successful businesses, ranging from small companies to large
corporations. Their stories prove that people with disabilities can achieve
anything they set their minds to.