by: Jim Partridge
Imagine yourself accessing the Internet, surfing websites, using ICQ & other chat programs, sending email, writing letters, administration or related? Now imagine if you were doing that for some small business that requires Internet help simply because they lack the "time" and human resources to do it themselves? Last but not least imagine 'not getting paid for it'?
GREAT JOB you say! In reality it is a great job because it is a career opportunity to learn small business and also Internet business (not from text books) but online by doing. It is also opportunity for those who need opportunity to contribute to small business USA & Canada plus an advantage to our two countries as small business is the driving force to our national employment and economic stability.
I refer to a population of more than 70 million persons of which a percentage are the 'Untapped Resource' of our two nations. These persons are the disabled, non-employment abled persons who can use the computer, Internet from their home to assist small business. 'We, the disabled' are a force to be reckoned with "if" we combine our efforts and form one cohesive organization. Our spending capacity is greater than $180 Billion USA per year, our needs are identical to non-disabled persons needs PLUS extra needs tailored to the individual disability. Our quest of self-esteem, accomplishments, involvement in community and business etc., can be facilitated from our living room, dining room, bedroom etc., via laptop or desktop business services.
I have multiplied, divided and contemplated how disabled can participate in online business and the answer is the most obvious answer I have ever come up with - DO IT! Do it is "Nike" slogan and one we should adopt for the disabled who are eAbled. There is no such thing as an area respecting the computer and the Internet or qualification of you or you respecting this challenge, that is not desperately in need by small business.
Few websites are disabled accessible BUT the disabled are not out there getting the education required to make ALL websites disabled accessible and at the same time generate an income. Only 47% of online users (now 300 million/700 million counting office/school), that is 329 million users speak, read or write English. Wow, 371 million people need me to translate their information from English to the language I read and write!
5,000,000 webpages per day are going online every day, 365 per year, yet we do not have an inexpensive marketing service for small business summarizing or investigating new Internet content daily for business use and productivity. Websites as in [portals] can be build and launched within a morning and sell for $99 USA, per http://www.miniports.com, and there is a profit at $99. Imagine disabled persons building mini-webs all day for $99 each and making a profit? Now imagine they have not left their home and they made a profit.
Private Sector Social Services is what can be done with the profit generated by the disabled communities. Why not? Nobody knows the needs of the disabled more than a disabled group and nobody should be concerned about the economic future of the disalbed in this cutback and downsized world than the disabled. Profits generated can and should be re-invested into private sector social services for disabled persons in your community and mine.
Drawing from this financial resouce, disabled can acquire the services of a homemaker for a day or two per week; can have meals made for the children of single parents, (disabled); can have needed and up-to-date medications supplied versus having to rely on out-of-date medications due to government policy etc.
The future of disablity is MORE & MORE population given the 'baby-boomer' generation approaching senior years and approaching with poor health and monies lost respecting the stock market depression etc. More and More population equals LESS & LESS persons to pay our way. Think - disabled and others, think hard the future is there, some of us cannot get to corporate offices etc., but some of us can use a computer, can use our experience, can write emails, can even do basic websites without html knowledge and etc.
Bottom-line, disabled are the Untapped Resource of our era. We are the ones that can step forward and make things happen for the small business person; for the disabled community and for self-accomplishment of each disabled contributor.
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