For Deaf Entrepreneurs, its-a Rocky Road

By Joke Ogungbire,

For many deaf persons, the road to entrepreneurship is a must since most paid employment would not even consider them. It is also one of lonely adventure and many uncertainties.

Talk about getting the skills required to start the entrepreneurship journey, how do you communicate with your mentor or colleagues? Why are you often misunderstood? Why can’t they simply accept your ability and forget your disability or hearing loss? They might as well learn the art of sign language, you wonder.

Well, after achieving that milestone and you’ve managed to acquire some skills, you are even determined to be the best.

However, just when you thought the struggle is over, then you are faced with the reality of marketing your skills and services, selling your ideas but they don’t seem to notice or are they also deaf in some ways or perhaps hostile? You wish you knew.

This poses an even greater challenge, the need to convince people that your hearing loss has nothing to do with your ability!

This is our story at DESIRE Health Inclusive Organization (DHIO), the story of many deaf persons, the deaf entrepreneurs and aspiring deaf entrepreneurs, that brought about the birth of EARnpreneurs: Empowered Advocates and Resourceful deaf entrepreneurs!

We are set to promote deaf brands and celebrate deaf entrepreneurs across Nigeria. Nigeria’s deaf population is estimated to be well over 7 million while there are between 110-190 million adults with significant disability, globally.
Empowering only a fraction of this huge population means that the world’s Gross Domestic Product (*GDP) would increase by 7%.

Patronize deaf entrepreneurs, buy deaf brands.
Now, this is what it takes to increase the world’s GDP by 7%: IF you and I employ people with disabilities and patronize deaf entrepreneurs! Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (*SDGs) would be even a lot easier.

EARnpreneurs are Entrepreneurs with hearing loss otherwise known as deaf.

EARnpreneurs project provides a platform to showcase their services and products while interacting with broader audiences and also build the capacity of other aspiring deaf entrepreneurs in Nigeria.

EARnpreneur is an initiative of DESIRE Health which aims to bridge the economic divide between the hearing (persons with functional hearing) and those hearing loss or deafness through Empowerment, Advocacy and Resource-linking of persons with hearing impairment/disability.

Ogungbire, an activist and public health expert, writes in from Lagos. Her organisation can be reached via www.facebook.com/EARnpreneurs 


First published, February 3, 2018 on http://posteritymediang.com/for-deaf-entrepreneurs-its-a-rocky-road/