Mada supports differently abled entrepreneurs

The Qatar Assistive Technology Centre (Mada) has taken part in the Global Entrepreneurship Week with the aim of supporting persons with disabilities (PWDs) as viable members of the entrepreneur community. In tandem with its participation at the event, Mada has released a report titled “Creating Accessible Services to Support Entrepreneur PWDs in Qatar”, which details the ways in which PWDs can take advantage of the entrepreneurial environment and how corporates benefit by supporting PWD entrepreneurs. Mada operates under the umbrella of the Ministry of Transport and Communications (MoTC).

“We are thrilled to participate in the Global Entrepreneurship Week and represent persons with disabilities while showcasing our value proposition to entrepreneurs and enterprises in Qatar,” said Maha al-Mansouri, Mada CEO. “With the release of our report, we aim to educate and help incubation centres, commercial and development banks, and all public and private entities that work in supporting entrepreneurs to understand the needs of PWDs.”Mada’s report details the reasons and expectations of people with disabilities when it comes to entrepreneurial activity. Like any person, there are many reasons why people with a disability choose to become self-employed, or to start their own business. For some, it is a matter of necessity when other opportunities have not materialised; for others, a specific idea or opportunity emerges coupled with a desire to increase control over one’s work and manage one’s own work-life balance, while increasing job satisfaction and income or benefits. The report also looks at the benefits that working with entrepreneurs with disabilities bring on a wider economic and social level. “Our aim, during this event, is to show various entities how they can benefit from supporting entrepreneurs with a disability. Not only will it help them contribute to Qatar’s economy, but supporting a social initiative such as this will also help them improve their ‘triple bottom line’,” added Rashid Mohsin al-Shahwani, director of public relations and communications at the MoTC.The Global Entrepreneurship Week continues until Thursday.